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July 2008 News

Secure that property

Many families will be going away this summer. Now is the time to check up on security at home. Get in touch with your local crime prevention teams and burglary reduction groups attached to your local council. And do some

Newspaper's Dump It! campaign forces rethink on contaminated waste plant

Nuneaton Tribune drums up mass support among community opposed to plant near homes and schools

Murray Morse named as new Sport editor-in-chief

Former Cambridge Evening News editor takes top job with national titles

Awards shortlist for memorial website

Associated Northcliffe Digital’s Lasting Tribute in the running for two prestigious awards

Press campaign to fight rising tide of knife crime

Argus features affected families and highlights dramatic statistics as part of campaign

PA protest sees judge reverse reporting ban

Couple accused of running a brothel lose fight to keep address and photo out of the papers

New social network for journalists

MeejaHub aims to bring together reporters and media professionals

Choosing a nanny

How can you ensure that the person you entrust your children to is completely trustworthy? Ask some childcare agencies how they screen their staff – it could be anything from the way they dress to how they react to children

What do the guests steal?

Which items are most often lifted from hotels and guests houses on your patch? Light-fingered guests have a lot to answer for but some really take the biscuit. Soaps and shampoo are regularly stolen but according to one Scarborough hotelier,

Culture secretary ducks local video row

Backbenchers call for help for the regional press

New birthday brew celebrates newspaper's special anniversary

Charities to benefit from profits of Sheerness Times Guardian 150th year ale

Newsquest man killed in M6 crash

Tragic loss hits group’s North West division

Half-century in pictures for Express photographer

Cheshire snapper stay loyal to his roots with five decades of photos at same paper

Journalism News Digest: No substitute for experience

Our weekly round-up of what’s been making the news on HoldtheFrontPage this week

Glasgow Herald editor Charles McGhee resigns

Former Evening Times boss leaves after ten years with group

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.