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May 2011 News

Vince Cable ‘concerned’ over Newsquest job cuts

Business Secretary’s local paper is one of the affected titles

Former regional sports editor elected as MSP

But two journalism students miss out on becoming councillors

Paper clears front page to name Blitz dead 70 years on

Regional daily marks anniversary with 1940s-style broadsheet

Regional daily launches job contest for readers

Applicants will compete to be awarded post with local firm

Editor takes on Machu Picchu trek in wife’s memory

Journalist will miss first FA Cup Final in years for charity challenge

Strike ballot to be held after redundancies announced

Move comes after no confidence vote in managers

Council funds allow paper to publish election edition

Regional daily printing special results edition thanks to authority’s sponsorship

Weekly celebrates hat-trick of campaign successes

Title claims victory in council and health care drives

Regional daily apologises over inquest report errors

PCC negotiated correction after inaccuracies published about death

Paper marks Royal Wedding with special screening

Title ensured older readers were not on their own for occasion

New ‘eco-font’ developed by publisher

Ink use to be reduced by 10pc at print centre

PA launches online shorthand course

A new online shorthand course has been launched by Press Association Training to help budding journalists achieve 100 words per minute. The new service offers live interactive tutorials and is designed to provide specialist help for students who have already

Journalism chief awarded New York fellowship

The head of journalism at a UK university has been awarded an academic fellowship in New York. Dr Sarah Niblock from Brunel University is one of only 14 academics to be chosen for the fellowship by The Dart Center for

HoldtheFrontPage to sponsor young journalist prize

Website bolsters support for regional press awards

Unofficial ‘work-to-rule’ started over job cuts

Journalists fear quality of titles will be affected if redundancies made

Digital editors invited to event on social media

Executives from Facebook and The Independent will speak to journalists

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.