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Journalism
Alex Forrest-Whiting (B, 1990-1992)
F E A T U R E S
Alex is a freelance broadcaster and journalist,
and has previously worked for the BBC and
ITN. Rob Fletcher, Politics Teacher, interviews
her about her career in journalism.
Alex, I taught youA Level politics back
in the early 1990s – you were Head
Girl then – what recollections do you
have of life in theTeddies Sixth Form
in a period when the girls were still
quite a new addition, and a distinct
minority in the School?
It seems odd now, but the girls were affiliated
to boys’ houses to ensure we integrated. It still
raises eyebrows when you explain to people
that a girl’s study was in a boy’s bedroom! But
it seemed to work and there was an unwritten
rule, certainly in my year, that you didn’t
have ‘relations’ with a boy you were sharing
a study with. The girls were kept locked out
of the new girls’ house (Oakthorpe) until
9.45pm each night. Again, this was supposed
to help with integration. I still can’t believe
that we were allowed to go to the JCR and
drink pints of beer before prep and then
again afterwards. I’m grateful though that I
knew how to both hold a pint and drink one
without falling under the table. Essential for
university life! Yes, I was Head Girl, which
seemed pretty cool at the time although,
rather like the monarchy, I don’t think I really
had any power whatsoever.
Was the school still emerging from a
very traditional view of girls?
Yes – that’s certainly true. You can see it in
my favourite comment on an essay from my
history teacher. It sums up so perfectly the
prevailing attitude towards girls at Teddies
at the time: “Alex’s geographical map of
Europe, even giving allowances for being
female, is semi-fictional.” Just brilliant! Sadly,
he was in fact correct.
You did well with your Politics A Level,
and we shared a love for the subject.
What have you done with your Politics
since then?
After St Edward’s, I read Politics at Bristol
University. During my final year, I realised that
I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. I did
work experience at various radio stations in
Bristol and Oxford and after graduating, went
on to Cardiff University to do a postgraduate
diploma in Broadcast Journalism. I was
fortunate enough to become a BBC trainee,
based in the South West. After two years of
reporting and reading the news for both Radio
Cornwall and Radio Devon, I ended up back in
Oxfordshire working for ITV’s Central News.
This was a great newsroom where I was able to
present the news as well as report.
I remember seeing you on theTV
very regularly in this period – then you
moved to theWestminster team, and
the big time, and you were often in the
thick of things.
Yes, after being political correspondent for all
three Central News programmes I was then
asked by ITN to join their Westminster team.
This was an exhilarating job and I covered all
kinds of political stories. Thinking about it now,
one of the things which prepared me for life in
Westminster was being one of very few girls in
a male environment at Teddies!
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Alex being interviwed on Danish television