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October 2011 News

Newspaper office to close after 100 years

Reporter will work from home and hold surgeries

Football managers join newspaper in charity drive

Events raised funds for two charities

Weekly under attack over teacher’s tweets story

Article blamed for ruining assistant head’s career

Lancashire daily celebrates 125 years of publishing

Title founded by manager who found he couldn’t buy a paper

First Minister’s tribute to long-serving political editor

Plaudits for ‘true gentleman of journalism’

East London weeklies to merge next month

New title will combine tradition with innovation say bosses

Midlands publisher merges daily and weekly teams

Move will cut duplication says editor

Future of Welsh press to be examined at conference

The current state of the press in Wales will be put under the microscope at a conference next month. The event will be held on 19 November and has been organised by the Cardiff and South Wales branch of the

Newspaper pushes to protect identity of sex attack victims

Ministry of Justice has promised review

New Johnston Press boss buys 14k of shares in company

Incoming chief executive issues vote of confidence in business

Editor forces councillors to scrap pay rise

Investigation forces authority to admit blunders

Daily uncovers high number of inmate complaints

Readers react to latest prison findings

Attic attack at Lancashire weekly

We have to confess to being mightily confused by this headline from the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, until we realised they meant attic of Mitton pub. We’ve all heard of homophones – but this is not even close!

Former local press reporter could be handed ASBO

Former reporter is accused of harassment

Hyperlocal site seeks funding for ‘hard news’

Reporters will be sponsored for a day

Newspaper adopts foster carers campaign

Readers have responded in their droves

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.