AddThis SmartLayers

June 2012 News

Chisholm to head Scottish Newspaper Society

The outspoken media analyst Jim Chisholm has been appointed as the new boss of the Scottish Newspaper Society. Jim, who has worked international media consultant for the past 18 years, takes over from Jim Raeburn who has headed the SNS

Court reporter dies after collapsing at social club

Judge pays tribute to ‘excellent’ journalist

Sunday editor steps up to top job at Scotsman

Journalist returns to flagship title as boss

Former journalist publishes tourist guide for pilgrims

Holy Island guide goes ‘beyond the tourist trail’

Johnston Press closes print plant with loss of 35 jobs

Peteborough weekly set to be printed in Sheffield

Report calls for new clampdown on newspaper sex ads

Newspaper Society urged to take stronger lead on issue

Northcliffe axes two weeklies as new edition launched

Daily-turned-weekly seeks to grow audience

Regional daily launches survey on public transport

The Manchester Evening News has launched a major survey to find out what readers think about public transport on its patch. The newspaper says it wants to “build a picture of who is and who isn’t using public transport –

Journalist overturns court ban on naming ex-footballer

Police applied for secrecy on sexual offences case

Newspaper office up for sale for £400,000

No plans to move journalists says publisher

High level praise for relaunched Johnston Press titles

Minister voices approval for new-look weekly

Tindle praises South London weekly’s ‘finest hour’

Celebrations as seven hyperlocal weeklies hit the streets

Journalism students gear up to report from Olympics

Media roles won to cover London 2012

‘No plans to close freesheet’ says regional publisher

Move comes after union raised closure fears over city’s last free weekly

Boy band to headline paper’s 75th birthday concert

Title stages free music event for milestone anniversary

Weekly wins FoI fight over ‘1984-style’ gagging order

Paper fought reader’s ban on revealing successful request to third party

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.