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October 2012 News

South London weekly to go online only

No jobs to be lost as a result of change

Hyperlocal website goes on sale on eBay for £1,000

‘Mildly satirical’ portal up for online auction

Qualified privilege and court papers: a cautionary tale

Our fortnightly look at legal issues facing the industry

Jeakings steps up pressure over press controls

Clegg challenged over support for statutory regulation

Trinity Mirror creates three new publishing regions

North East division to combine with Scotland

Scottish daily editor to leave his job

News chief steps down after two and a half years

Newspaper launches survey into racism in football

Ferdinand shirt row prompts regional daily questionnaire

Victory for regional daily in secret documents battle

Cabinet office fails in bid to block disclosure

A million local newspaper stories set to go online

Papers from 100 years of history go live

Former editor at two regional dailies dies aged 78

Journalist ran bookshop in retirement

Former journalism student lands dream job in Maldives

A former journalism student has secured her dream job as a sub-editor for a newspaper in the Maldives. Georgina Green, a graduate from the BA Journalism course at Northumbria University, has started working as a sub-editor for the Maldivian Daily.

Editor role axed as London newsrooms merged

Free edition of paper scrapped after one year

MEN’s fight to save battalion helps win Commons vote

Petitions handed to Downing Street against cuts

Regional dailies win £30m to help boost local firms

Government funding awarded for major campaign

New weekly edition launched as free newspaper axed

Publisher changes distribution model in Midlands town

Canary Islands comeback for axed Trinity Mirror editor

Former regional daily man takes charge of magazine

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.