Night shifts are inevitable if you work in journalism, with weekly shifts planned so that the newsroom is always staffed for a big breaking story.
Being assigned to the night shift typically involves revising your daily routines to accommodate nighttime work patterns, from going to bed at dawn to readjusting meal times so that “lunch” is served after midnight.
Producers and journalists have shared what it is like to work a night shift for broadcasters such as the BBC and Sky News (working in radio and television) amid declining television viewing figures.
Taking her fans inside MediaCityUK, the Manchester home of the BBC North and ITV studios, news presenter Katie Walderman detailed everything she did during her shift working for BBC North West Tonight.
Katie clarified that it’s not all “tea and cookies” until dawn, but rather an intense schedule that involves keeping an eye on the latest news, updating social media and writing scripts for the newsletter.
Sky News radio journalist Laoise MacCana, who regularly gives her followers a behind-the-scenes look at her work on TikTok, said she “literally sleeps five hours every time I do a night shift” in a video documenting her routine. before. work.
“I mean, I try to go to bed and sleep before my shift, but obviously that doesn’t happen,” he continued. “I don’t sleep when I should at night, much less sleep randomly during the day.”
Laoise added that she switches up her usual makeup routine for moisturizer and “a little bit of concealer,” explaining, “I literally treat these shifts like I’m going to bed.”
Producers and journalists have shared what it is like to work night shifts for broadcasters such as the BBC and Sky News, working in radio and television, amid declining television viewing figures.
BBC World Service business reporter and senior presenter Leana Bryne joked that night shifts make her “contemplate my life decisions”.
Sky News runner and scriptwriter Jack Darlington regularly documents his night shifts running from 9pm to 5am in posts on TikTok, noting that he usually arrives at the studio with ten minutes to spare.
Leana Bryne, business reporter and senior presenter for the BBC World Service, said she eats dinner at seven-thirty, noting that “there really is nothing better than those packets of rice from Aldi” for a quick and convenient meal.
He continued: ‘At half past seven, at a quarter to eight at the BBC, at MediaCity, there’s no one around.
“The producers and I have to do it in turns, when we go to dinner.”
She joked that night shifts made her “contemplate my life decisions”, adding: “Is this really a way to spend a Friday night reading a Daily Mail on your own in the canteen?”
TV news presenter and radio presenter Greg McKenzie also documented the start of a night shift at the BBC on TikTok, noting: “This is me on the night shift on the way to the BBC.
‘Look, I have my suit, my cupcakes, my bag, my laptop, let’s do this, this is the night shift, the night shift.
“While most people sleep, I’ll be here, keeping an eye on the latest news.”
Sky News runner and writer Jack Darlington regularly documents his night shifts running from 9pm to 5am in posts on TikTok, noting that he usually arrives at the studio with ten minutes to spare.
Jack said his job is to “manage the floor” for Sky News’ late-night presenter from midnight to 5am.
Leana said she eats dinner at seven-thirty, noting that “there really is nothing better than those packets of rice from Aldi” for a quick and convenient meal.
“The first thing I’ll do when my shift starts is check the broker’s phone,” he said. ‘One of the guests had arrived so I made him a coffee.
‘I will print the front pages (of UK national newspapers) as they arrive, making a list for the presenter and both guests.
“Around 10:15 or 10:20 p.m. the newspaper’s list will be confirmed,” he continued.
‘At half past eleven, I’ll head to the newsroom to meet the night host and print out the running order.
“And I’m here basically to manage the anchor from midnight to 5 in the morning and basically help if there’s any breaking news,” he concluded.
Although night shifts are an inextricable part of a journalist’s life, Harvard Health warns of the effects of “shift work disorder” which “primarily affects people who work the night or early morning shift, or who “They rotate their shifts.”
Eric Zhou, assistant professor in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said: “People who work 9-to-5 shifts are generally awake when the sun rises, which is aligned with the internal circadian clock. of his body.
‘But for shift workers, their work and sleep hours are not aligned with the natural cues of being awake or asleep.
“They work against the natural inclinations of the universe, not just their bodies.”
A 2022 research review published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine also linked shift work to increased risks of serious health problems, such as heart attacks and diabetes.
Adverse effects of shift work can include metabolic syndrome, which refers to a group of conditions that increase the potential risks of heart disease and stroke, as well as certain types of cancer.
Zhou recommended minimizing light exposure after leaving work by using “blue light-blocking glasses or blackout curtains” in the bedroom and setting aside enough time to sleep on days off.