A 20-year-old journalism student is celebrating two front-page scoops in her local paper just days after enrolling on her course.

Juliet Conway, of Brighton, started an NCTJ course at Brighton Journalist Works last Monday and, like all students on the course, was asked to find a story for her local paper, The Argus.

She came back with not one but two stories, one of which made a front-page splash and the other mentioned on the front page and carried in full on page five.

Both stories have subsequently also been followed-up by the national press.

Juliet’s front page story ‘Did internet kill my little girl?’ was about a student from Sussex University who has been found dead with a container of a classified drug next to her.

One of Juliet’s close friends was a friend of the dead girl and told her about the circumstances of the death.

Meanwhile, other friends from the university, where Juliet was a student last year, told her about a chef there who has been put in quarantine after showing signs of swine flu.

Juliet said: “It feels amazing – it’s only my second week on the course and I can’t believe I’ve managed to be published on the front page ofThe Argus.

“I suppose I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I got the drugs story from a friend who was a cheerleader with the girl who died.

“The swine flu story came from another friend who is still at Sussex University. I have started as I mean to go on.”

Brighton Journalist Works course leader Paula O’Shea said: “I am very proud of Juliet. I have known students get front-page stories before while on our courses, but never in the first couple of weeks and never two on one day before.

“Juliet has shown she has great news sense. It was not easy for her to chase these stories down, and she talked to her tutors about the moral dilemmas of writing about her friends before telling The Argus news desk.”

Michael Beard, editor of The Argus, said: “Juliet showed initiative and a keen eye for news. I am very impressed she did this so early in her training.

“This is an encouraging start to Juliet’s career in journalism.”

Comments

Observer (30/04/2009 08:36:08)
Well done Juliet. I wonder if she got paid for the stories?
And doesn’t it show how being able to make contacts, go out and speak to people works? You know, the sort of thing reporters did before they were forced to sit in the office all day to cut and paste press releases and PA copy.

J (30/04/2009 09:40:42)
Well done. Excellent.

G (30/04/2009 10:39:52)
Shame there are no jobs on regional papers for young journalists who show this kind of potential..

John (30/04/2009 10:55:49)
She’ll be lucky to get a job though at the end of it.
To ‘Observer’, you’re spot on mate. Feels like we’re doing a normal job now.