Newsquest's first Diplomas in Sports Reporting have been presented to trainees Peter King and Jackie Bass.

The qualification is based on the successful Newsquest news reporting diploma and involves training in law, interviewing and shorthand as well as successful completion of examinations in speech reporting and handout.

The training scheme was developed to give a qualification to reporters who were destined to cover sport alone.

The first to achieve the diploma were Peter and Jackie from the East London and West Essex Guardian. Jackie transferred to the editorial department from telesales after writing a book about her experiences as a female Arsenal supporter.

Group editorial manager Margaret Strayton, (pictured), who presented the diplomas, said: "It is great to see this diploma established. It is something both Jackie and Peter can be justifiably proud of and huge congratulations to them, and to their editor, Martin Oldaker, who masterminded the diploma format.

"I do thoroughly recommend it to editors who have taken on sport writers determined to stay within sport journalism. This diploma gives them something to aspire to."

Key to completion of the diploma is a week's placement on another paper's sports department.

It is now available across Newsquest and has already been taken up in Essex.

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