Molly Clayton

It’s always said that young people have the ideas, creativity and energy to shape a better world. As a reporter on a national newspaper (having joined Mail Newspapers through its trainee scheme) Molly Clayton has been able to bring about significant changes in the way major global corporations are run through the power of her journalism.

First, after she reported that a woman had been sexually assaulted less than a minute after logging on to the 'metaverse', Facebook $47billion parent company introduced new safety features for its virtual online world. Clayton’s expose was followed by other national newspapers, the BBC and ITV. In another investigation, she shed light on another grievous threat to the health of young people by revealing hard drugs and weapons were widely available on a free, Russian-owned mobile phone app popular with teenagers. She combed through lists of sellers on Televend advertising illicit substances to UK buyers and even found one vendor offering a gold AK-47 assault rifle and delivery to UK addresses within four days. The Home Office responded by vowing ‘to tackle the use of encrypted devices used to plot vile crimes under the radar.’ In a third investigation, Clayton demonstrated how counterfeit luxury designer goods indistinguishable from the real thing were being sold on a China-based website for less than one per cent of the legitimate price. Finally, Clayton reported on another issue vital to future generations – environmental waste. She was lead reporter for The Mail on Sunday’s ‘War on Food Waste’ campaign, which has been instrumental in forcing retail giants to change packaging and labels amid growing concerns over damage to the Earth’s resources.