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August 2017 News

Regional daily relaunches with more ‘visually appealing’ look

Redesign brings newspaper into line with sister titles

MailOnline chief Clarke to deliver Society of Editors Lecture

Former Scotsman editor has created world’s most popular news website

Journalist hits out at football club’s ‘unprecedented’ ban on colleagues

Sports writer has declined press box seat in solidarity

Schoolkids to visit regional daily as part of summer holiday programme

Newspaper opens office for scheme

Regional publishers agree new deal to print each other’s newspapers

Three-year contract extensions announced

New city paper founder sets sights on UK-wide expansion

Editor says she is not competing with local titles

Journalist who covered Lockerbie bombing dies aged 77

Tributes to reporter who worked in Scotland and England

Editor hits out at ‘unhealthy’ police-media relations at time of unsolved murder

News chief won campaign to reopen 1994 child’s death case

Daily launches online football team selector for new season

Fans can compare their XI with most popular choice

Journalist writes book about street names of her old patch

Former regional daily reporter traces roads’ history

Former regional editor’s archive digitised for charity project

Journalist collected more than 600 taped interviews over career

Sister dailies dominate O2 regional press shortlist for second year

All the contenders for the O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and Humber

Former editor of regional interest magazine dies aged 89

Tributes paid to wildlife expert

Tennis fans thank weekly for helping to revamp public courts

Campaign raised £40,000 for facility

Former regional daily office set to be flattened for Jaguar dealership

Planning chiefs urged to approve building’s demoliton

Fire service axes local press phone line in bid to save £500

Updates to be posted on social media instead

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.