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November 2011 News

Fowler praises ‘enterprising’ Northcliffe over frequency changes

Regional dailies ‘should charge more for content’

New digital chief appointed for Archant London

Archant London has announced the appointment a new digital director with the aim of making its London24.com portal the “definitive London guide for visitors from across the world.” Paul Hood, a former digital executive with Trinity Mirror, will also have

Tributes to journalist who died after losing job

Former sub-editor was made redundant earlier this year

Bradford T&A cricket reporter bowls over judges

Cricket correspondent wins journalism award

Fletcher confirmed as Lincolnshire Echo editor

Acting boss given permanent role

KM Group to axe jobs in wake of failed Northcliffe deal

Publisher admits redundancies would have happened anyway

PCC chairman praises high standards of regional press

Most stories have their origin in local papers says peer

Fresh blow for regional lobby as correspondent axed

Big three titles now without Westminster presence

Former regional journalist loses cancer battle aged 66

National journalist went on to become author

Newspapers’ riot coverage to form focus of debate

Lessons to be learned from conference

Regional publisher in online video deal

Products aimed at small business advertisers

Northcliffe Media to axe production roles

Pre-press operations to be centralised in Nottingham.

‘No plans’ to take Western Mail weekly says publisher

Union sets out blueprint to ‘save Welsh media’

Teacher anonymity law goes through despite protests

Controversial proposals to give lifelong anonymity to teachers accused of offences against children at their schools have become law. The Education Act 2011, which received the Royal Assent on Tuesday, makes it unlawful to name a teacher who has been

Trinity Mirror: ‘We tried to sell closure-threatened titles’

Company had tried to save weeklies

Ministers battle to silence regional daily over company takeover

Newspaper pushes for release of information

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.