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July 2009 News

Mercury rising as site marks first birthday

Weekly’s online arm tops half million mark

Council jobsite has cost papers £5m say MPs

Committee hits out over Scottish press ‘crisis’

Coulsongate

Or should that be The Wages of Spin? Thanks to cartoonist Slob for this take on the potential political ramifications of the alleged News of the World phone hacking affair – it was originally posted on my political blog but

Archant set to cap final salary pension scheme

Company’s bid to plug £43m shortfall

Council newspaper 'to cost weekly £250,000'

Local authority freesheet to carry advertising

Ross Kemp adds message to paper's online tribute

TV star hails Afghanistan war heroes

'Good news' paper launches in North-East

Not-for-profit freesheet will go to 20,000 homes

Editor calls for new phone hacking investigation

Allegations damage image of journalism say bosses

Law expert's alarm over decline in court reporting

Essential Law co-author issues stark warning

Guardian takes hospital charges fight to Parliament

Thousands back weekly’s bid to ‘Scrap the Fees’

Popular arts journalist and former mayoress dies

Merseyside columnist devoted lifetime to the arts

Editor gets back on his bike for charity ride

Over £450 raised for Macmillan event

Former editor wins top book prize

Tales of Lakeland characters lands publisher award

Paperback writer laid low by swine flu

Illness strikes as debut novel hits streets

Former reporter loses battle with brain tumour

Keith Southey dies aged 53 after lengthy media career

Belfast Telegraph editor announces retirement

Martin Lindsay calls end to 47-year journalism career

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.