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November 2007 News

Snapper was on patrol with soldiers killed by roadside bomb

Telegraph man had been with soldiers in Afghanistan just 36 hours before they were killed

Ten years of success for press and photo agency

United National Photographers is celebrating its tenth anniversary

Copyright issues for photojournalists

Lively debate expected at event which will put spotlight on photographers’ rights

Press photographers eye modern role in plan for more up-to-date training

Training body is asking editors, picture editors, photographers, and trainers for their views

Freelance photographer found guilty of obstructing the police

Case raises important questions about relationship between journalists and the police

Student press photographer scoops six month placement at The Times

Former Norton College trainee will work on national’s picture desk after wowing judges with her photos

Work of more than 60 press photographers goes on display

‘Out of the Darkness’ has been organised by the Northern Ireland Press Photographers Association

Tributes as photographer completes 30 years at South West titles

Veteran gets a surprise as friends and colleagues mark big anniversary

Image of boy held aloft by spears scoops international photo award

Striking image beats world-wide competition to wow judges in Commonwealth awards

Former News snapper lucky to be alive after coming under fire in Afghanistan

“The ground was being sprayed by machine gun fire and bullets were landing everywhere”

Veil woman gives photographers identity dilemma in court 'snatch'

Picture desk faced challenge of making sure pic was of right person without seeing her face

Weddings man named photographer of the year

Tony Sherwin has been voted Sentinel photographer of the year in a weddings promotion where readers voted for their favourite picture. The freelancer’s shot of a woman being showered with confetti proved a big hit and saw him land the

Civic reception for long-serving photographer

Press photographer John Hocknell has been honoured for his work by a civic reception and public exhibition on his stamping ground in West Norfolk. The Eastern Daily Press man turned up for a routine diary job at King’s Lynn town

Exhibition shows stresses and strains of managerial life

Newcastle United fans can relive the past glories of some of the team’s former managers with a new exhibition in the city. A three-month exhibition has opened at the Discovery Museum featuring pictures taken by photographers from Newcastle Chronicle. The

Brian retires after 40 years at the Chronicle

Bath Chronicle photographer Brian Stevens has retired after 40 years with the paper. He started his career at the Wiltshire Gazette, and intially arrived at the Chronicle to fill in for six months before taking up a job on the

Empics in sports pictures deal

Sports photo agency Empics now has the exclusive rights to market the historical sports pictures in the Sport & General and Barratts collections. The collections were acquired by Alpha in 1996 – and since that time have been exploited widely

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.