Innovative Cornish journalist Ros Atkins honoured by the University of Exeter

Mr Atkins, who grew up in Stithians and is BBC News' Analysis Editor
Innovative Cornish journalist Ros Atkins has been honoured by the University of Exeter for his passion for truth and justice and work to improve gender balance in newsrooms.
Mr Atkins, who grew up in Stithians and is BBC News’ Analysis Editor, was given an honorary degree at the University’s Penryn campus in recognition of his role within a new genre of accessible journalism.
His viral explainer videos are shaping how people understand complicated and emotive issues in the news and how they think critically about the world around them.
His passion for the power of storytelling was influenced by his time growing up and being educated in Cornwall.
Mr Atkins is also known for his drum and bass DJ sets, stemming from a lifelong love of the genre born from being part of the Cornish dance music scene in the early 1990s.
He is the founder of the 50/50 Project to improve gender balance in the media, a policy which has been adopted by media organisations around the world.
Mr Atkins said it was a “huge honour” to receive the honorary degree and joked he had seen how happy new graduates were from their joy on stage, including one who did a double fist pump.
He said those graduating had a “wonderful wonderful foundation on which to build your future”.
He told them: “I’m sure there were moments where you felt you reached your limit. Things were a struggle. But your ambition, diligence and curiosity, got you through. Yours is no mean feat. I’m sure that achievement was a team effort so congratulations to your families too.”
He said it was “particularly special” for him to join a ceremony in Penryn, which is in a part of Cornwall full of memories for him.
This includes summer’s day in nearby Longdowns when he spent the afternoon celebrating the end of his A-levels with friends. He already loved listening to the radio, the news music, history and was fascinated by how to build an argument. He told new graduates it hadn’t been easy finding a job after graduating, but when his career wasn’t going to plan those passions helped to keep him going.
He said: “There is a line which runs all the way from that afternoon just up the road from here 32 years ago all the way to this stage and the things I do. It’s the things I’m passionate about. Our passions are precious. They won’t always fit neatly together, they won’t always connect to our working lives but they can help us feel creative and fulfilled. They can help us to stand out. Whatever yours are they are worth taking care of”
Mr Atkins has been a BBC News presenter for more than twenty years and has anchored coverage of major stories in the UK and around the world. He has also presented a number of BBC documentaries and live broadcasts from Cornwall exploring a range of issues from local politics to the economy to tourism.
He is the co-presenter of The Media Show on BBC Radio 4. As well as this, his first book, The Art of Explanation, was published in 2023.