AddThis SmartLayers

August 2012 News

Paper defies Royal Mail to paint postbox gold

Round-up of regional press’ Olympic Games coverage

Publisher confirms Dandy comic to go online only

Regional publisher DC Thomson has confirmed that children’s comic The Dandy will cease print publication later this year and go online only. The Dandy will be printed for the final time on 4 December, which will be a special edition

Northcliffe MD to leave after 29 years with publisher

Brown bounces back as interim boss

Farming journalists win Olympic day out

Two members of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists were treated to a day at the Olympic Games after winning an annual farming journalism award. Somerset-based freelance Olivia Cooper took the top prize in the Guild’s Power on the Farm

Three Midlands editors to be axed under JP plans

Merger of news chief roles follows daily-to-weekly switch

Weekly editor bows out after 37 years in journalism

News chief has led paper for 10 years

Launch of new free weekly wins praise from council chief

Midlands town now has dedicated title

Reporter training to be reviewed after complaint

Round-up of latest PCC cases involving regional press

Weekly in bid to raise £750,000 for new hospital scanner

Reporter taking part in half-marathon to boost funds

Photo exhibition features Post newsroom in 1970s

Images show regional daily 36 years ago

Undercover probe exposes church offering cancer cure

Regional daily journalist posed as relative of sufferer

Journalists to scale peaks for paper’s hospice appeal

Regional daily aims to raise £100,000 for facility

Dyson at Large: Red light delivery for city’s free weekly

HTFP blogger reviews paper handed through car window

Former sub who spent 45 years at weekly dies at 92

Funeral held for ‘quirky gentleman’

Regional publisher submits bid to run local TV

Applicants to run new services revealed

Regional publisher could axe well-known children’s comic

A regional publisher is considering axing a children’s comic it has published for the last 75 years, amid falling circulations. The Dandy could be closed by DC Thomson, which also publishes newspapers including The Courier, as part of a review of

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.