As the Magazine Journalism MA students awaited the arrival of investigative reporter Nick Owens, it was difficult to know what to expect.

During his undercover work for the Lancashire Evening Post, he’s managed to infiltrate the prison system, take on the role of a traffic warden and live life on the streets as a homeless person; all in the name of journalism.

So as not to blow his cover, a covert operation would surely be needed to smuggle him into the trainee journalists’ headquarters. After the room had been swept for bugs and at 1:03pm exactly, this master of subterfuge appeared.

But there would be no camouflage needed for the visit of Nick Owens. Instead, in walked a smartly dressed young man in a suit befitting an award-winning reporter.

Essex-born Nick, who graduated from UCLan’s Postgraduate Newspaper Diploma in July 2003, has not only been named as the North West’s Reporter of the Year for 2005, but also the Press Gazette’s UK Young Journalist of the Year.

In scooping the latter award, Nick managed to beat competition from reporters from over 250 other newspapers from up and down the country, receiving his award from respected BBC correspondent Michael Buerk at a ceremony at the Hilton hotel in London.

Nick’s remit for the day’s talk was to discuss his career and give some tips on how to get started in the journalism industry. Although he’s only been working for the Lancashire Evening Post for little more than 18 months, he appeared more than qualified to impart his knowledge on the matter.

Firstly, Nick attempted to instil the mentality into all the budding journalists that they were no longer merely students, but trainee journalists and should be aware that there are numerous opportunities to gain experience prior to completing the MA course.

He said: “You’ve picked a really good place to be a reporter in Preston and if I was you, I’d go down to the Crown and Magistrates Courts as they’re a really good source of local stories and follow-ups.”

Indeed, Nick illustrated this point by telling of one occasion when he followed-up a court case in Blackpool and unearthed a far juicer story than just the straight facts of the case. This resulted in eight national newspapers and approximately 50 magazines coveting his story; something that no doubt pleased his editor.

With regards to writing features for magazines, Nick confessed that he hasn’t had much experience in this field but would recommend reading local newspapers.

He said: “They’re a great source of information to find out what’s going on in the local community and can often lead to some interesting feature articles being written.”

Towards the end of the talk, Nick admitted that one day he’d love to work for a national newspaper. If he continues to replicate the success he’s already had, it shouldn’t be too long before his dream becomes a reality.