AddThis SmartLayers

November 2009 News

Spot on, Peter

You can say what you like about TV’s the X-Factor, but it certainly gets people talking. Last night’s decision by Simon Cowell to reprieve talentless twins John and Edward Grimes at the expense of Welsh songbird Lucie Jones has been

Ex-journalist stirred by new cocktails venture

Online business aims to shake-up the world of party planning

Newspaper's Jacko ebay auction nets £999

Plus: NUJ training for Wales and more news in brief

Photographer recalls historic fall of Berlin Wall

Evening Post snappers paints vivid picture of events 20 years on

Echo triumphs in hunt for EuroMillions lottery winners

Call centre syndicate claims £45m says north-west daily

Publisher closes pension scheme to existing staff

Timing of Trinity Mirror move condemned by union

Lowe’s big tease

As his one-time deputy Keith Perch recently noted, Mike Lowe was one of the great ‘personality editors’ of the 1990s, bringing his unique style of journalism to first the Gloucester Citizen, then the Derby Evening Telegraph, and finally the Bristol

The Commons: ‘A killer place’

The funeral of former MEN political editor Ian Craig took place in his family’s home town of Wrexham yesterday, with many regional lobby figures past and present paying their respects. So today’s obituary by David McKittrick in the Independent was

The right to give offence

Tory blogger Iain Dale’s connection to the regional press is somewhat tenuous – he writes a column for the Eastern Daily Press – so we didn’t carry today’s story about the PCC adjudication against him on the main site. Nonetheless,

FoI request uncovers 99-year-old burglary suspect

Newspaper reveals extent of criminality among society’s elders

Wanted man sends local paper new mug shot

Rogues gallery photo not good enough for burglary suspect

Journalism training chief quits post after six weeks

Commute too far for ex-EADT deputy editor

New editor for Midlands weeklies series

Content editor steps up after ten years with titles

Print move goes ahead for Scottish titles

Plus: Papers feature on new Monopoly board and more news in brief

Punish the parents playing with the truth

Up to 3,500 parents make fraudulent or misleading claims on applications in order to get their kids into popular schools. Tougher action is needed to curb the trend, says the chief adjudicator Ian Craig – read about it here. Mr

Final edition of big city daily rolls off presses

Editor reflects as Post begins new era

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.