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December 2009 News

Venue and judges unveiled for East of England awards

Ceremony to take place at Stansted next month

Sports journalism awards open for entries

Prepare your cuttings and photos for annual SJA prize giving

Watchdog rejects BNP activist's 'ridiculous' complaint

Regional daily editor welcomes PCC ruling

Police u-turn on anti-terror photography laws

Missive advises officers to stop restricting public photography

Telegraph's cash bid to help poor communities

Vital purification kits drying up as charity sees donations plummet

Paper's bid to buy vital life-saving equipment

Campaign aims to supply tools to cut cardiac deaths

Monday deadline for East of England media awards

Extra time to enter EDF Energy-sponsored contest

Plaque unveiled to ex-reporter Mark Knopfler

Sign marks the spot where former YEP man launched Dire Straits

Friday Funnies: When is a dog not a dog?

Plus: A really unimpressed inmate and more media funnies

Bradshaw urged to meet industry leaders

Plus: Nearly 90 journalists killed this year and more news in brief

All in the line of duty….

An Israeli sports reporter got more than he bargained for when he went to cover a basketball match on Tuesday. Irmi Olmert, the brother of the country’s former Prime Minister Ehud, apparently took exception to something the reporter had said

Police praise weekly for helping snare sex pest

Flasher caught after weekly shows victim CCTV of suspect

Aggressive children and stressed out teachers

The behaviour of primary school children is becoming more aggressive while a quarter of teachers are suffering mental health problems as a result. These and other startling findings are the result of research conducted by the Association of Teachers and

Making diagnosis a bit smarter

Paramedics and ambulance staff in America are to be given smartphones to speed up medical diagnosis. The phones are fitted with imaging software which enables staff to take pictures of internal organs and transmit them to hospital doctors. While “rural

PA's social media project for climate change event

Agency teams up with ten news providers for UN Facebook mission

Journalist found dead at bus station aged 44

Scots sub-editor and writer discovered by cleaner

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.