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November 2007 News

Belfast Telegraph wins top award

The Belfast Telegraph was named as the Internet site of the Year at the first-ever Newspaper Society New Media Awards held at the St John’s Swallow Hotel in Solihull. Judges said that the site – also named as Best Internet

Guardian Student Media Awards

The shortlist for Student Reporter of the Year Guy Adams, The Steel Press, Sheffield UniversityStuart Butchers, London Student, University of LondonAnnabel Falk, Edinburgh Student, Edinburgh UniversityKiran Randhawa, Leeds Student, Leeds UniversityRoss Smith, The Courier, Newcastle UniversityTom Smithard, York Student Vision,

Winners of the first NS New Media Awards

The category of Best online community service in the Newspaper Society 2000 New Media Awards was won by beehive.thisisderbyshire.co.uk. Judges said the winner demonstrates community involvement and has taken advantage of sponsorship opportunities and promoted their site effectively. Back to

Charity praise for BEN

Charity work by the Bolton Evening News has been recognised with a prestigious media prize. The paper has been named Media Supporter of the Year by the Cancer Research Campaign. The Evening News was praised for its enduring support for

Press spending brings its reward

Investment at print centres for the Express & Star has reaped rewards, with the paper scooping a coveted printing prize. The Wolverhampton paper has been presented with the Roy Thomas Award for Colour Printing, a trophy recognised as the printing

The David Worthy Award 2000

The seventh – and last – David Worthy Award has been won by Allan Bovill of the Derbyshire Times. The photographer received £200 for the best portfolio and Miriam Balfry of the Redditch Standard wins £50 for submitting the best

Guardian Student Media Awards winners

Hard work in the world of student journalism has been rewarded at the Guardian Student Media Awards. Competition was fierce nationwide for the awards, which were the climax of the Guardian Student Media Conference. The award winners were decided by

Guardian Student Media Awards

The shortlist for Student Sports Journalist of the Year Antony d’Angelo, Student Direct, Manchester UniversityJon Colman, Scan, Lancaster UniversityJames Mythen, London Student, LSEDavid Dewar, The Saint, St Andrews UniversityNicholas Henegan, Concrete, UEAMatt Hughes, Varsity, Pembroke College, Cambridge University Back to

Two awards for Ian

Ian Harkness, former chief reporter of the Tonbridge Courier, has won two prestigious awards in the BBC Local Radio England Awards. Ian (43), who now reports for BBC Radio Kent, won the Frank Gillard Award for the best reporter and

Evening Star collects awardFACE="Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica" SIZE="1">by HoldTheFrontPage staff The Evening Star in Ipswich has received an award for its part in bringing sex fiend Kevin C

The Evening Star in Ipswich has received an award for its part in bringing sex fiend Kevin Chambers to justice. The 37-year-old Essex man was given a life sentence in April for the doublerape of a 19-year-old Ipswich woman in

Press Gazette award winners

Winners of the Press Gazette Regional Press Awards have received their prizes from former Coventry Evening Telegraph journalist Dermot Murnaghan – who now presents ITV’s nightly news. The top prize of Newspaper of the Year, sponsored by National Savings, was

Garden Writers' Awards 2000

Have you ever penned a gardening column? Or specialised in taking photos to illustrate your garden writer’s words? There’s a chance for you to emerge as a winner for the ninth annual Garden Writers’ Guild Awards. The Guild has also

Michael Buerk to be guest of honour at business awards

Veteran BBC Television foreign correspondent and newsreader Michael Buerk is to be guest of honour at this year’s Yorkshire Bank Northern Business Journalist of the Year Awards dinner. The dinner takes place at the Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel, in central Manchester,

John has an eye for the unusual

Minister for Sport Kate Hoey was this year’s guest of honour at the 27th Annual Regional Service to Sport Awards ceremony organised by Sport England East Region. The event, this year hosted by Dacorum Borough Council at the Dacorum Pavillion,

Newsquest award winners

The Northern Echo has been named as Newsquest’s Daily Newspaper of the Year. Editor Peter Barron collected the award in a year in which his paper has already been named Best Daily Newspaper in the North East in the Tom

Southern Home Counties winners

Sports Journalist of the Year:Winner: Andy Steggall, Meridian BroadcastingHighly Commended: Graham Hiley, Southern Daily Echo and Portsmouth News team Simon Parker, Mark Storey & Danny Griffiths The BT Southern Home Counties Sports Journalist of the Year was awarded to former

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.