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April 2013 News

Daily targets young readers with Junior Reporters Club

New weekly feature will carry reports written by children

Pickles slams councils for ‘obstructing’ journalists

Editors’ boss his out at “outrageous” access restrictions

Regional publishing boss signals online paywall plan

‘Reader must pay’ says chief executive

Online abuse – the problem Leveson didn’t deal with

Our fortnightly look at legal issues facing the industry.

Former editor to reverse-publish new magazine title

Fourth edition also launched for monthly title

Editor hits out at council ‘red tape’ in election row

Local authority refuses to give papers email addresses of candidates

Guardian writer opens new journalism centre at university

Budding journalists are set to benefit after a state-of-the-art media centre was opened at a university. Guardian features writer Simon Hattenstone officially opened the new Journalism and Media Centre at the University of St Mark and St John in Plymouth.

Live blog: Society of Editors Regional Conference

All the latest news from regional press industry gathering

Weekly taken off shelves after Thatcher hoax calls

Hoaxer calling herself ‘Joanna Lumley’ pretended there was a legal problem

Salary for top Trinity Mirror role reduced by a third

Annual report shows remuneration for chief executive at publisher

Regional dailies launch bid to solve cold cases

Newspapers in bid to track down rapists and murderers

Trinity Mirror to launch new paper in Granite city

Insert will be available free with daily tabloid

Former editor to bow out of Local World role

Adviser to step down when contract ends in July

Regional daily apologises over “hooligan” slur

Newspaper story branded wrong set of fans

Campaign gives terminally-ill child a holiday to remember

Regional daily’s appeal raised £20k plus a series of ‘day out’ experiences

Former news editor dies four months after retirement

Retired in January after 46 years at his local paper

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.