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July 2011 News

Weekly reporter’s Royal appointment

A weekly newspaper reporter was amongst those lucky enough to attend this year’s Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace. Bev Creagh, reporter for the Dunstable Gazette, was among 8,000 guests invited to Tuesday’s event for their contribution to charity or the

Sean Hoare inquest opened and adjourned

Cause of journalist’s death still not ascertained

Welsh weekly rapped for child privacy intrusion

PCC upholds parents’ complaint over taxi service report

New era dawns for Northcliffe daily-turned-weekly

New-look South Devon title weighs in at 192 pages

Editor’s disclosure prompts journalists’ pay survey

University to research how much journalists earn

Woman who killed journalist has sentence slashed

Murderer given chance to apply for early parole

Council chief quits following newspaper investigation

Reporter’s probe revealed how taxpayers’ money was being spent

Ed Miliband accused of ignoring local newspaper

MP for North Doncaster ‘has shown no support for strikers’

Cameron names media ethics inquiry members

Panel to include two leading political journalists

Nine sub editors at Scottish title are axed

Compulsory redundancies are now being implemented

Whistleblower’s death not suspicious, police confirm

Ongoing tests to confirm cause of journalist’s death

Editors hit out at calls for local press code

Newspapers could be asked to sign a code of conduct

Former weekly editor killed in road accident

Former journalist had long career on his local newspaper

Award for tutor who ran photography course

Photography lecturer is first person to receive new accolade

Newspaper aims for first-class social media presence

Launch of iPhone app will enable readers to send in pictures

Newspapers set to go to press despite strike

Union claims teenagers on work experience are writing the papers

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.