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January 2012 News

Editor’s roles scrapped at five Scottish weeklies

Move could see reporters back on patch

Family still seeking answers over journalist’s death

Hospital says investigation will take time

Tindle unveils new magazine acquisitions

Lifestyle publications join growing stable

Hyperlocal website crashes due to high demand

Money will be spent to improve service

Newspapers can enter newly launched awards

Regional newspapers can enter a newly launched set of awards which aim to highlight how people within the industry are solving questions such as how to charge for content. The British Media Awards are being hosted by The Media Briefing

Paper forgets its address as subbing curse strikes

If sod’s law dictates that stories about media gaffes invariably contain mistakes, then maybe it’s also the case that stories about subbing invariably contain subbing errors. Certainly that was the experience of the Grimsby Telegraph when it published a story

Weekly makes former street child’s dream reality

A weekly newspaper helped make a former street child’s dream come true after calling on readers to donate a saxophone to him. The Westmorland Gazette asked if any readers had an instrument they no longer used and urged then to gift it to Ukrainian teenager

Shortlists for North-East press awards published

Contenders listed for 30th Tom Cordner Awards

Daily launches campaign to uncover ‘hidden facts’

Editor talks of living in ‘a secretive age’

News team took to water for good cause

Efforts will benefit disaster stricken countries

Editor in tribute to dad with special choice of song

Hit will be played as part of radio show anniversary

Council steps in after newspaper office closes

Weekly offered room to ensure presence in town

Scottish daily to up its cover price

A flagship Scottish newspaper is to increase the cover price of its weekday editions by 15p. The Scotsman will be sold for £1 instead of 85p during the week and £1.30 on a Saturday. Writing in the paper editor-in-chief John McLellan

Senior roles at risk after Scottish newspaper merger

Four senior members of the Daily Record’s editorial staff are in talks with management at Trinity Mirror’s newly formed Media Scotland about their futures. The brand was created last month when the company announced it was combining the Daily Record, Sunday Mail and

Newspaper to appeal to commissioner over Royal Mail secrecy

Company failed to release offence figures

Digital editors to discuss future of local newspapers

Influential figures will speak at meet-up

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.