AddThis SmartLayers

July 2012 News

Health secretary praises importance of local newspapers

Health secretary Andrew Lansley has spoken of the importance of local newspapers at an event in the House of Commons this week. He spoke to 10 political editors and correspondents from regional papers at the Newspaper Conference breakfast briefing, which

Murdoch pays JP £30m to escape print contract

Issue arose following News of the World closure

Johnston Press to close five more newspaper offices

Journalists will continue to ‘work locally’ says publisher

Murder confession sent to newspaper after bodies found

Nine-page document detailed reasons for murder-suicide

Editor’s dilemma over sex-change teacher story

Paper praised for ‘sensitive handling’ of issue

Scots give thumbs down to traffic notices plan

Opposition grows to government proposal

Victory at last for regional daily in heart unit battle

Paper praised after centre saved from closure

Grants on offer to budding science journalists

Budding science journalists could be supported to carry out a masters degree after the Wellcome Trust announced a new grant scheme. The global charitable foundation will offer financial support for two students a year for three years to undertake the

Schadenfreude in Southsea

Plenty of schadenfreude on the South Coast this week over a hyperlocal news site’s attempts to cover the story of a body – or was it in fact a ‘bobby?’ – washed up on Southsea beach. Staffers on more established

Editor defends torch coverage against Twitter critics

Weekly relegates Olympic relay event to inside pages

Strike ballot over Johnston Press job cuts back on

Union members fear compulsory redundancies

Get a move on, industry leaders tell Pickles

Body calls for meeting with communities secretary over Town Hall Pravdas

Newspapers honoured for reporting refugee issues

Awards recognise media coverage of asylum seekers

Queen congratulates weekly on 100th anniversary

Specially-created sausage helps mark paper’s birthday

Honorary degree for former regional daily editor

A former Belfast Telegraph editor has been awarded an honorary degree recognising his services to journalism. Edmund Curran was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by the University of Ulster on Tuesday after spending his whole career

Cancer-stricken reporter reveals battle against disease

Regional daily journalist thanks newsroom for support

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.