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July 2007 News

Photographer enjoys high seas adventure aboard tall ship

Six-day voyage was a “dream come true” for lensman Paul

Reporters swap Yorkshire for California on eye-opening news trip

Journalists enjoy new freedoms of reporting in a US newsroom

Northcliffe snaps up 26 Trinity Mirror weeklies for £64m

Sale of south-east titles will affect more than 400 staff and boost circulation by 872,000

Multimedia sub-editors targeted by new London training course

Day-release course to be launched by Press Association Training

Latest resolved complaints dealt with by the PCC

Complaint after court gave out wrong details – plus more news on resolved complaints from the PCC

Flood of outrage at wages survey report

“No journalists I know are earning that kind of money – who took part in the survey?”

Final agreement reached in pay and pensions dispute

“Further action would have been counterproductive for everyone”

Rubbish action demanded by rat bite woman: More press funnies

Check out our latest comedy of errors – enough to give sub-editors nightmares!

Court case probe wins national award for education writer

Investigation into rogue child minders is praised

Sister papers are big winners at North West Newspaper Awards

Cumbrian Newspapers’ triple win sets the pace at regional awards event

Investigative journalism course to give students chance to crack live case

Groundbreaking MSc students could hand new leads to the authorities

Union pushes for national talks as Newsquest drops

£65m pension fund deficit claim could cost staff more than £40 a month to put right

Renowned black journalist tells students of prison stretch

Writer who shared a cell with Nelson Mandela talks to college trainees

Argus turns its patch plastic in bid to make nights out safer

Glassing instances set to be cut as campaign for plastic beakers in pubs takes hold

Journalists asked to share tough reporting experiences

Tales of reporting on conflict, death or violence sought for new research project

Media industry urged to 'fight tooth and nail' over FOI changes

Top newspaper lawyer hits out at Government which has “given up both with judiciary and media”

Tips on choosing a journalism course

Emma Clark, former marketing and communications manager for the National Council for the Training of Journalists, offers her advice on choosing between journalism courses.
Recently I've attended numerous careers fairs around the country, meeting students of all ages keen to break into journalism - whether that be in newspapers, television, radio or magazines. And of course, all students want to know which journalism course they should go on and whether they need NCTJ qualifications.

A quick look at the trainee job ads on HTFP demonstrates the importance of gaining the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism. Many adverts require candidates to have, or be awaiting results for, their NCTJ Diploma.

Trying to break into the industry without it makes a tough task almost impossible. With the rise in tuition fees, choosing the right journalism course is even more important than ever and students need to be sure they are learning the vocational skills required by employers, enabling them to hit the ground running when they enter the newsroom.

Employers know that an NCTJ-trained applicant will be able to find and construct stories, understand media law and ethics and be able to take down an accurate shorthand note when required. And contrary to popular belief it is not just the regional press looking for these skills, but nationals, online and broadcast too. Recent Sky Sports News schemes, for example, have been looking for practical skills including a minimum of 100wpm shorthand.

Student journalists can complete their NCTJ training in a number of ways - FE colleges and independent centres offer the Diploma in Journalism as fast-track and academic year courses, while universities offer it as part of undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. All of these journalism courses lead to the same NCTJ qualifications and meet the same standard, allowing students to pick the one that's best for them.

It's no secret that the NCTJ has an exacting standard, and this applies not just to the qualifications but also to the course provider. All NCTJ-accredited courses have to work incredibly hard to meet the requirements in the same way that students have to work incredibly hard to achieve the gold standard. This ensures the NCTJ logo acts as a meaningful kitemark for quality journalism training.