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June 2012 News

Columnist axed after 47 years hits out at editor

A columnist who has written for the Manchester Evening News for the past 47 years has hit out at the paper’s editor after he was axed. Andrew Grimes had written for the regional daily since 1965 but said he was

Head of content steps up to edit Somerset weekly

Internal promotion for Northcliffe journalist

Weekly journalist to speak at book festival

A weekly newspaper journalist whose first book was published earlier this year will speak at a book festival on Saturday. Stephen Thirkill, from the Mansfield Chad, wrote his book Tourist Trails to highlight seven tourist attractions in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire,

Journalists threaten strike action over planned job cuts

Union wants assurance of no compulsory redundancies

Axed journalists to launch new paper after daily-to-weekly switch

Former Evening News journalists team up in new venture

Weekly newspaper’s former offices hit by flooding

Base closed last month under publisher’s restructure

Regional daily handed to young people for the day

Teenagers chose splash about exam pressures

An expensive near-miss in Bradford?

Oh dear…or should that be ‘deer?’ Hard on the heels of the warning to motorists to ‘bare’ children in mind, here’s another one from the Bradford Telegraph & Argus.

New boss for Midlands daily as editor steps up to MD

Deputy’s promotion greeted by applause

Weekly newspaper moves to new base in town

A weekly newspaper has moved from its current offices to a new base in the town. Staff at the Enfield Advertiser, which is part of the Tindle group’s North London Newspapers division, moved from Refuge House on River Front to

Tindle claims 35pc sales boost for revamped weekly

Hyperlocal editions defy Bank Holiday slowdown

Five free weekly titles to be axed by Johnston Press

Lack of advertising blamed for closures

Regional daily editor surveys changing nature of role

News chief launches online questionnaire

R&B singer backs papers’ campaign to save juice bar

Titles aim to raise £5,000 to keep project running

Google to sponsor Journalism Skills Conference

Search engine giant Google is to be the headline sponsor of this year’s Journalikm Skills Conference, the National Council for the Training of Journalists has announced. The annual conference takes place at Nottingham Trent University on 28-29 November and will

Sunday newspaper breached rape victim’s privacy, rules PCC

Press watchdog publishes ‘unusual’ ruling

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.