With breaking news in the UK hitting just about every hour, journalists in the digital age certainly have their work cut out for them. But you might not realise just how much these journalists make – especially those who also appear on TV.
Britain’s top-paid journalists all come from a wide variety of backgrounds and specialties. And many of them have risked life, limb and reputation to bring viewers the best news possible. Chances are you’ll recognise many of the names on the list, but the real news flash is their salaries.
Francesca Unsworth
Salary: £215,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC
Francesca “Fran” Unsworth is a reporter with the BBC, serving as is the director of news and current affairs. Her alma mater is the University of Manchester. After graduating from college, she became part of a local news radio station at BBC Radio Leicester and Bristol. She then produced Newsbeat on Radio 1.
After moving to the States, she was a radio producer for Radio 4. She replaced James Harding on BBC in 2005. She also was the president of the Editors Society, starting in 2011 and ending in 2012, though she is still on the board.
George Alagiah
Salary: £320,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC Four
George Alagiah was born in the Dominion of Ceylon, and he attended Van Mildert College in Durham. He got his start at a student newspaper, Palatinate, and he then joined the BBC in 1982, where he worked in London and Johannesburg as a developing world correspondent. He was the presenter of BBC Four News starting in 2002, earning him name recognition.
He is also a patron of several organizations, including the Fairtrade Foundation, Royal Shakespeare Company and Parenting UK. He won the Outstanding Achievement in TV award at the Asian Awards back in 2010 for his service to journalism.
Victoria Derbyshire
Salary: £250,000*
Currently Seen On: This Week
Victoria Derbyshire was born in London, and she got her start on BBC Radio 5 alongside Julian Worricker. She attended the University of Liverpool before then. She then went to BBC and presented Newsnight, and she also had appearances on the show This Week, interviewing celebrities, politicians, and other people in the news.
Derbyshire has won several awards for her work, including a BAFTA, Sony, and RTS award. Her current show appears on BBC Two, as well as the BBC News Channel, where it has aired since 2015. She has been sent to report on some of the world’s biggest stories.
Mishal Husain
Salary: £230,000*
Currently Seen On: HARDtalk
Mishal Husain hosts several shows, including Today, BBC World, BBC Weekend and Impact. She’s also had appearances on BBC Breakfast and HARDtalk. She has even presented Newsnight on occasion, when the show needed a substitute. She got her first experience in journalism when she was eighteen and was a city reporter in Pakistan in Islamabad.
She then went from Pakistan to Bloomberg TV, producing and occasionally presenting. It wasn’t until the BBC that she became a major presenter, and she has taken on various roles on the network. Her time in front of the camera has been well-received.
James Harding
Salary: £340,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC
British journalist James Harding was the director of the BBC from 2013 until 2018. He also has his own company, Tortoise Media. He made history as the youngest person ever to become the editor of The Times (second to Robert Thompson’s debut with The Wall Street Journal). He left The Times in 2012, being replaced by John Witherow.
He now is just at the BBC. There was a delay between his appointment and him starting work. It took him more than a year to actually assume his position at BBC. He promised to direct the BBC more towards investigative journalism.
Martha Kearney
Salary: £250,000*
Currently Seen On: Woman’s Hour
Martha Kearney was born in Ireland, and she attended St. Anne’s College in Oxford. She got her start working at the LBC and IRN in London, operating phone-in programmes. She covered the UK election in 1987, got noticed for her work there, then joined Channel 4 as a reporter. She then went to the BBC two years later.
She was a regular presenter on the show Woman’s Hour for the BBC. She then became the editor for Newsnight, a BBC Two programme. She has won several awards for her work, and she has chaired for the Baillie Gifford Prize.
Fiona Bruce
Salary: £400,000*
Currently Seen On: Crimewatch
Fiona Bruce was born in Singapore. Her father was the Unilever regional director, which was why the family was living there at the time. She attended Oxford, and was then a member of a punk rock band before changing it up and becoming part of the news world. Bruce worked at the BBC through the 90s reporting on Real Story, followed by Crimewatch.
She recently became the host of the programme Question Time after David Dimbleby left. She debuted in that role in 2014. She has also hosted the BBC News at Ten and Six, Antiques Roadshow, and Fake or Fortune.
Laura Kuenssberg
Salary: £230,000*
Currently Seen On: Daily Politics
Journalist Laura Kuenssberg is the editor of the BBC. She was born in Scotland, and she worked at local stations there before joining the BBC in Northeast and Cumbria. After winning the Royal TV Society Award for her work on domestic affairs, she was appointed the chief political correspondent for the station.
She reported on BBC One, BBC News, and Daily Politics. She became a well-known figure at the station, so much so that, during the period before the Cameron coalition formed, the BBC was nicknamed “Kuenssbergovision.” She worked briefly for ITV News as their business editor before going back to the BBC.
Stephen Nolan
Salary: £450,000*
Currently Seen On: The Stephen Nolan Show
Born in Northern Ireland, Stephen Nolan first joined the Belfast CityBeat. His work there earned him a Sony Radio Award. He then worked for BBC NI, and he has remained there since 2003, producing The Stephen Nolan Show on Radio Ulster. He has also presented a show with Gerry Anderson, as well as a phone-in show on BBC Radio Five.
He is one of few Northern Irish broadcasters to make it big on the mainstream radio in the UK. He is famous for his line, “That is not my name,” which is a famous misinterpretation of an interview with Sue Tilley.
Andrew Neil
Salary: £550,000*
Currently Seen On: This Week
Born in Scotland, Andrew Neil attended the University of Glasgow. He was first the editor of his student newspaper, and he also dabbled in the TV shows for the university. He was part of the debate club. He joined The Sunday Times in a highly-controversial move, as he was promoted by Rupert Murdoch over colleagues who some felt were more experienced.
He left The Sunday Times and founded SkyNews before moving the BBC. He presented the live shows This Week and Daily Politics in 2003, remaining there for years. He was instrumental in covering the 2010 and 2015 elections.
Nicky Campbell
Salary: £346,000*
Currently Seen On: Watchdog
Scottish presenter Nicky Campbell was educated at the University of Aberdeen. His first job was at Capital Radio, where he presented a Saturday night program. He then went to BBC Radio 1, followed by BBC Radio Two. He replaced Julian Worricker in the 2003 January slot on the station, presenting initially alongside Victoria Derbyshire.
He then switched to presenting with Shelagh Fogarty. He has also been a presenter for multiple non-news related shows, including Wheel of Fortune, Top of the Pops, and more. He has also presented on Watchdog and Central Weekend, a consumer news and affairs show.
Jonathan Sopel
Salary: £250,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC
BBC presenter Jonathan “Jon” Sopel was born in London, and he received his education from the University of Southampton. The broadcaster was president the National Organisation of Labour Students while he was there. Sopel joined the BBC in 1983, reporting and producing for BBC Radio Solent. He was then the correspondent for BBC News 24, spending three years there.
He is currently the North America Editor for the BBC, replacing Mark Mardell, who became a BBC Radio 4 presenter. Sopel is best-known for his rare interview with the Dubai Emirate Sheikh Al Maktoum, which took place in January of 2014.
Andrew Marr
Salary: £450,000*
Currently Seen On: The Andrew Marr Show
Andrew Marr is a political commentator who was also the editor for the Independent Newspaper from 1996 until 1998, as well as the editor for BBC News from 2000 to 2005. He currently hosts his own show, The Andrew Marr Show, which was formerly called Sunday AM. The BBC One program has been on the air since 2005.
He also was the host of Radio 4’s show, The Week, a long-running morning program. He is involved in history, and he has created several shows about various historical events, including Megacities, History of Modern Britain, The Diamond Queen and more.
Dan Walker
Salary: £250,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC Breakfast
Broadcaster Dan Walker is a journalist who is best known for his sports coverage. The British broadcaster started when he began work at Hallam FM, winning a competition for young sportscasters that saw him cast into the role. He then was able to move into a full career, working for four years for Key 103 Radio, broadcasting a midweek sports show.
He isn’t solely relegated to sports, presenting Afternoon Edition, which aired every Monday through Thursday on BBC Radio 5. He recently replaced Bill Turnbull, becoming the presenter of BBC Breakfast. He co-hosts the programme with broadcaster Louise Minchin.
Huw Edwards
Salary: £530,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC News at Five
Welsh journalist Huw Edwards is the presenter and newsreader for BBC News. He is the lead broadcaster for breaking news in the UK. He presents the BBC News at Ten, which is the most-watched news show in Britain and it is considered the flagship show of BBC News. He has covered both domestic and international affairs.
He presents the BBC News at Five, which is an hour-long show on BBC News. He also has presented for the News at Six, covering major events like the weddings of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (as well as the Diamond Jubilee).
Kamal Ahmed
Salary: £190,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC
Kamal Ahmed is a journalist who was the current director of the BBC. He was educated at the University of Leeds, and he received his education in journalism specifically from the City Department of Journalism. He also was the editor of The Observer and The Telegraph. When he first got started in his career, he worked for local Scottish papers.
He then moved to The Guardian, where he was the executive editor. He also was the director of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, having been directly recruited by chair Trevor Phillips.
John Humphrys
Salary: £650,000*
Currently Seen On: Today
John Humphrys was born in Wales, and he was the main presenter for Nine O’Clock News, a flagship programme for the BBC. He served in that role from 1981 until 1987, when he became a presenter for BBC Radio 4’s program, Today. He presents alongside his colleagues Nick Robinson, Justin Webb, Martha Kearney and Mishal Husain.
Humphrys’ reputation is that of a tenacious interviewer, and he is known for tough back-and-forth exchanges with politicians. The reputed reporter joined the BBC after attracting the network’s attention for his reporting of the Aberfan disaster that took place in 1966.
Jeremy Bowen
Salary: £250,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC
Jeremy Bowen was born in Wales, and he currently resides in London. He is the Middle East Editor for the BBC. He was a correspondent in Jerusalem from 1995 until 2000 before that. He joined the BBC back in the early eighties, and he has worked as a war correspondent for a large portion of his career, with his first base in El Salvador.
He has reported from seventy different nations, and he gained a lot of attention when he was the first journalist to interview dictator Muammar Gaddafi after the start of the 2011 Civil War in Libya.
Jeremy Vine
Salary: £450,000*
Currently Seen On: Jeremy Vine
Jeremy Vine was born in Surrey, and he is a broadcaster who hosts his own program on the BBC. He presents interviews, views, news and more on his show. He is known for having a very direct interview style, and he also is one of the few reporters to exclusively report from war-torn regions in Africa.
He attended Epsom College, and he joined the BBC in 1988. He has also hosted and participated in lighthearted shows, including the show Eggheads, which he presents. He also was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing’s thirteenth season. He now presents Jeremy Vine on Channel 5.
Evan Davis
Salary: £300,000*
Currently Seen On: Newsnight
Evan Davis was born in Worcestershire to South African parents. He is currently the lead presenter for BBC’s Radio 4 show PM. He took over in 2001 from Peter Jay, becoming the lead economics editor for the show. He then left that editorial job in 2014 to become the lead presenter of the BBC programme Newsnight. He replaced Jeremy Paxman and was there for four years.
Another significant credit to his name includes Dragon’s Den. Davis holds an MPA from Harvard University, and his undergraduate work took place at Oxford. He currently resides at Earl’s Court.
Ben Brown
Salary: £160,000*
Currently Seen On: BBC Weekend News
BBC journalist Ben Brown was born in Kent, and he is the presenter for BBC News rolling channel. He has presented the News at Six and Ten, and he sometimes presents on BBC Weekend News. He got his start at Radio news in the early nineties. He has covered major stories, including the Hungerford massacre, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War and more.
He has won several awards for his reporting, particularly in the Communist era. He witnessed the final fall of the Gorbachev regime, and he was actually at the Parliament in Russia when Yeltsin’s troops conducted their 1993 raid.
Gavin Esler
Salary: £200,000*
Currently Seen On: Talking Books
Scottish presenter Gavin Esler is a journalist and author. He was the main broadcaster for the show Newsnight, which aired on the BBC with him as its host from 2002 until 2014. He is also the chancellor at the University of Kent, which was where he got his B.A. (he got his M.A. from the University of Leeds).
He took a break from the BBC to focus on his writing career, returning later in 2017 as the host of the show Talking Books. Esler has his master’s in Anglo-Irish literature, which makes the show a fitting venue for him.