Nadine White: A New Chapter, New Adventures

A farewell to the traditional newsroom - not to the stories

After almost half a decade at The Independent, I’ve left. I have stepped away from daily news to focus on long-form storytelling, advocacy and projects that spotlight Black lives and experiences - particularly in Britain.

Over the last five years, I authored well over 1,000 articles and became the first dedicated Race Correspondent in the history of UK journalism.

My reporting placed issues of race and inequalities at the forefront of the national conversation - spanning investigations into the government’s hostile environment, educational disparities, police brutality and deaths in custody. I also wrote about positive and aspirational stories too.

My exclusives included exposing racist slurs buried in official UK documents, highlighting pay disparities at the world’s leading sexual health organisation (which prompted sweeping reforms) and reporting on the mistreatment of Caribbean elders by the government, police forces and care homes.

Beyond Britain, I was the first national news journalist to report on Black people facing racism at Ukraine’s borders as they fled Russian attacks. I also covered Barbados’ historic transition to a republic - witnessing the pomp and parade live from Bridgetown, travelling during the pandemic.

Across the wider Caribbean, I reported on Jamaica, Belize and St Lucia’s renewed calls for slavery reparations during the ill-fated Royal tour; Grenada’s Spicemas Carnival, Jab Jab’s significance...I could go on.

I investigated how Britain’s squalid housing crisis hits Black and Asian tenants the hardest - including one case that led directly to the rehousing of a family whose four-year-old was repeatedly hospitalised due to mould.

Other articles included a primary school where a disabled Black boy was allegedly coaxed into eating paper tissues, a Black woman charged more rent than her white neighbours for a smaller property and the Home Office facing legal action after denying treatment to a Black HIV patient in a detention centre.

This journalism not only amplified under-reported experiences but also helped inform public conversations and, in some cases, policy at the highest levels.

Responsibility

Being the most senior and only Black person in The Independent’s editorial team for some time shaped my determination to push for inclusive reporting and to stay true to my values.

I launched the Race Report, the first newsletter on race from a national title, which grew by over 300% in 2024 and moved from fortnightly to weekly due to popular demand.

Some of you noticed when I wasn’t writing the Race Report or publishing as regularly, and even got in touch to ask if all was well. I deeply appreciate that thoughtfulness - it didn’t go unnoticed!

Over the past few years, I’ve also advocated for inclusion beyond writing.

This also included driving The Independent’s 2024 Black History Month exhibition, Black History in Focus, at Outernet London, fronting the company’s Henley Literary Festival partnership and organising special celebration lunches in collaboration with the UK Black Comms Network that brought Black British business leaders together.

I often worked far beyond hours - late nights, early starts, weekends, filing from departure lounges, even stepping out of the dance to take calls (leaving my Wray & Nephew untouched until I returned, lol). I did this out of love for our communities and storytelling. Above all, I felt accountable to readers, first and foremost.

My persistence within journalism came at a cost: the previous Conservative government excluded me from key briefings - including on the widely-discredited Sewell race report - and I was disinvited from Windrush events after high-level intervention because of my reporting.

It cemented my reputation as someone unafraid to speak truth to power, while standing firmly with the communities most affected.

The trolling and abuse were relentless. Still, we move.

What’s next?

After a period of sabbatical, reflection and travel, I’m ready for the next phase.

I’m now focusing on growing Brixton Heights, the award-winning production company I founded to tell underreported experiences with cultural depth and emotional truth, and my CIC.

Through Brixton Heights, I produced the box office-hit documentary Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind - and I’m thrilled that Part 2 of the trilogy, Echoes of Separation, is on the horizon with more screenings and partnerships to come.

Alongside this, I’ll be delivering consultancy, expanding my mission of accountability beyond journalism and into the legal field.

I’ve signed with speaking agencies, widening opportunities to share insights, and AMP Literary is representing me as I expand into long-form publishing.

This isn’t a departure from storytelling. It’s a continuation of the same mission: centring community, truth and impact.

Brixton Heights & Black Current

In addition to Brixton Heights, I am developing Black Current News, one of the UK’s only platforms dedicated to Black communities and perspectives. It will centre Black and marginalised perspectives, amplifying voices too often left out of the mainstream.

It will officially launch soon - subscribe now to be part of the journey from the very beginning.

The next chapter is bold, independent and beautiful - with new stories taking shape across screens and shelves alike. More on that soon.

While my focus is on these projects, I remain open to collaborations and commissions that align with truth and holding power to account. You may even see me writing guest articles elsewhere, here and there.

From the bottom of my heart: thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. I’m grateful to everyone and anyone who’s entrusted me with your tales and time.

Soon come.

One love,

Nadine