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August 2012 News

Regional daily in strike ballot over Newsquest pay freeze

Journalists told difficult trading conditions to blame

Six staff volunteer for redundancy at NUJ

Six members of staff have volunteered for redundancy at the National Union of Journalists as it seeks to deal with its financial crisis. The union says it has managed to avoid compulsory redundancies as part of its recovery plan, which

Revenues fall but profits rise as JP cuts costs by £13m

Interim results released for regional publisher

Journalist quits daily after 40 years for socialist paper

Long-standing NUJ rep leaves city title

Weekly’s supplement highlights witch trials anniversary

Pull-out highlights 400 years since executions

Death threat made against journalist, says union

NUJ offers to meet political group

UK’s top-selling regional daily promotes itself in video

Film features staff from across the newspaper

Airline deal sees regional daily sold on flights

A regional daily newspaper is now on sale on certain flights from its local airport after a deal was reached. The Bristol Post’s newspaper sales team secured the agreement for copies of the title to be available on the inflight

Budding journalists to attend NCTJ courses after grants won

Five budding journalists have been awarded bursaries by the Journalism Diversity Fund to allow them to attend courses. The fund is run by the National Council for the Training of Journalists to help people from socially and ethically diverse backgrounds

Editor swaps notepad for Lycra as he leaves after 47 years

Journalist to become “professional cyclist”

Fashion journalist launches mental health website

Writer suffered breakdown while studying for degree

Editor’s role scrapped for five Johnston Press weeklies

News chief will not be replaced

Former regional journalist dies at age of 94

Reporter met future wife in newsroom

Scottish daily goes regional for sales figures

A Scottish daily and its sister Sunday title have decided to be classed as regional newspapers for the purposes of auditing their circulation figures. Glasgow-based The Herald and the Sunday Herald have been classed as national papers by the Audit

Rare syndrome claimed reporter’s life at 33, inquest rules

Sport journalist died with notepad beside him

Five journalists axed as subbing hub dismantled

Subs decline transfer to new production base

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.