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October 2011 News

Weekly newspaper brings murderer home to face justice

Suspect demanded £20,000 from newspaper after fleeing to Thailand

Police praise for weekly over hunting expose

Pair convicted after newspaper investigation

West Wales weekly axes editions

No jobs will be lost says editor

Journalist drank himself to death, inquest rules

Former editor was found dead in bus station

Newspaper scores a hit with Royals podcast

Sports show was a success in iTunes chart

Union hits out over South Wales job cuts

District offices set to close says NUJ

Journalism student told “you’re hired”

A journalist has recruited an apprentice after becoming frustrated at how difficult it is for young people to get into the industry. Winning freelance education journalist Janet Murray chose Rhian Jones from scores of applicants to be her personal apprentice.

Dyson at Large: Child porn, school governors and miracle escapes

HoldtheFrontPage blogger Steve Dyson reviews the Rochdale Observer

Job cuts in prospect at South Wales publisher

Up to nine jobs could be at risk in restructure

Deputy editor in switch to new training role

Trinity Mirror executive to head revamped course

Friends’ shock at death of former local reporter

Popular journalist will be remembered at event

Newspaper bids to safeguard university’s future

Education minister to consider proposals

Daily newspaper prints same pages twice

A daily newspaper had to apologise to its readers after printing the same two pages on consecutive days. The Norwich Evening News blamed a production error for the blip which saw pages four and five of Monday’s edition printed again

East of England Media Awards set to launch

Countdown begins for EDF Energy-sponsored contest

Strike at North-West newspapers is back on

Union is pushing for talks with management

East Midlands dailies to be printed in Birmingham

Editors say move will enable titles to be in shops from 6am

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.