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April 2009 News

Chief reporter's final interview with famous historian

New book gives insight Studs’ final years on ‘borrowed time’

Chronicle's new look signals new era

Weekly gets facelift and switches to part-free model

Cambridge News crowned top regional newspaper

Iliffe title takes two prizes at annual Newspaper Awards

Archant website undergoes facelift

Plus: competition open for travel photographers, reporter shows his linguistic prowess – and more news in brief

Regional reporter to visit tsunami-hit island

Emergency housing programme was backed by newspaper

New business editor for Bel Tel

Plus: NUJ looks to cut four posts, reporter wins poker prize – and more news in brief

Midlands dailies scrap city final editions

New masthead for single-edition Derby Telegraph

New chair for Guardian Media Group

Amelia Fawcett takes hotseat at MEN owner

Press Gazette saved from closure….again

Last-minute deal to safeguard trade title

Celebrity interviews archive donated to college

Tales of the rich and famous preserved at journalism school

Entries open for North-West awards

Prize money up for grabs in Sellafield-sponsored contest

Place for prayer and a postage stamp

For centuries your local church was the place for sanctity from the outside world, offering a peaceful environment to pray or meet your fellow community members. While this is still available, you might also find some added reasons to drop

The countryside – boring or what?

Fresh air, rambling fields, endless space to enjoy the great outdoors – apparently these are still not good enough for many Britons. New research by hotel chain Travelodge suggests that over half the nation thinks the countryside is ‘boring’ while

Finance not paying the bills

Jobs in the financial services industry are being slashed at the fastest rate since 1993, new research claims. We all know about the highly publicised cases such as banking mergers and the problems at the Royal Bank of Scotland. But

Electronic court lists could be available by summer

Move to make cases and results digitally available to newspapers takes step closer

A masters in making yourself social

The seemingly unstoppable rise in the popularity of social networking websites like Facebook has prompted one university to launch a new masters qualification. For £4,400, Birmingham City University will spend a year teaching students the art of setting up a

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.