NEWS REPORT
– 204 candidates;
– 100 passed – 49 per cent

The examiners’ report:

The news report section focused on levels of dangerous emissions in villages around an expanding airport – Britain’s third largest airport which already contributed to 20 per cent of the country’s global emissions.

Candidates were told that their paper had reported the previous week that the Government had given the go-ahead for a second runway despite protests from environmental campaigners who had sought a public enquiry. They were given copies of the front page lead story announcing the second runway, together with a potted history of the airport and an invitation to a press conference called by the Standwicke (Dunedin in Scotland) Area Conservation Campaign.

It was the first occasion that the Campaign had commented since the runway decision had been announced and Campaign chairman Dr David (Davina if a woman) Hardwick was an acknowledged world expert in emissions and greenhouse gases.

News report is a test of a reporter’s ability to combine briefing material with the contents of a press statement. Information from both aspects is needed – reporting the statement alone, however accurately, will not earn a pass mark. Masses of background information was available and this section also tested the ability to identify sufficient relevant facts to both support the story and add colour to it.

Dr Hardwick’s speech contained a number of excellent hard-hitting quotes. To their credit, almost all candidates identified the best and used them to advantage in their stories. However, they were not so good at explaining where and why Dr Hardwick was speaking – the press conference was often ignored and on other occasions it became a meeting of the conservation campaign.

A large proportion of candidates produced accurate detailed reports and their editors should be justly proud of them. They are a credit to their newspapers and have bright futures ahead of them.

Unfortunately an equal number obviously did not listen to the content of the speech. The second runway was due to start in April 2008 and Dr Hardwick concentrated on air quality, nitrogen dioxide levels and health problems at the present time. He/she said that in the village of Greenleigh (Greenlea in Scotland), just two miles north of the airport, the levels were already approaching EU limits and “given the expectation that aircraft emissions will increase over the coming year” it would be complacent to assume that they would not soon be breached. The Campaign had already employed experts to test the air quality and the moment EU limits were breached it would take UK Airports to court to seek a cessation of all flights until safe levels were restored and assurances given that no further breaches would occur.

A surprising number of candidates wrote stories that would have necessitated corrections in a subsequent edition. Common errors included: