Hundreds of people have shared a former news editor’s top tips for new students starting journalism courses this autumn.
Richard Horsman, who trained journalists of the future for 25 years at Leeds Trinity University, went viral on Twitter after posting a list of pointers for first-year students.
More than 250 people have since shared the advice he posted on social networking site Twitter, with radio journalist Richard, pictured, saying he has been “overwhelmed with the responses”.
Richard was news editor of Pennine Radio in Bradford from 1993 to 1998 and became course leader of broadcast journalism at Leeds Trinity in 2007.
Below are his top 13 pointers for new starters:
1) Today is the first day of your professional life as a journalist. Keep your eye on the exit. Three years will pass very quickly, if you wait until finals to think about your first job you’ve missed the opportunity.
2) No-one in the real world cares about your marks, so long as you pass everything. It’s nice to get a First, and with the right attitude it’s more than possible, but given the choice between brilliant grades and work experience, take the placement. Every. Time.
3) Get present requests in early to Santa, and put driving lessons top of the list. Only this week I recommended a brilliant ex-trainee (graduated in July) for a job with an immediate start; but they couldn’t drive so missed out on the opportunity.
4) No-one made you pick journalism. You chose it, and with that comes an obligation to absorb the news like your mother’s milk. Not as a passive consumer, but as a critical practitioner. Where did that story come from? How can it develop? What’s the tomorrow line on it?
5) That means reading, watching and listening to a wide range of outlets to compare and contrast styles and treatments. Uni will teach you to write fluent Guardian, which is great, but you also need to have the voice to write fluent Sun. And conversationally for broadcast.
6) You can learn all you need to know of the technology in a few weeks, and although some tutors and institutions tend to obsess about the latest tech that knowledge dates very quickly. Originality of approach, telling an old tale in a new way is much more important.
7) You will hear the phrase “think of a story…” a dozen times a day, as your tutors progress through introducing the devices used in text, audio and video…
8) …This is where you can really stand out if you come to class with ideas of stories that matter to real audiences, NOT STUDENTS. So don’t propose stories on binge drinking, student housing, loan problems or the latest STD testing campaign.
9) Your first job in Broadcast is likely to be in local radio, if it’s the Beeb the average audience age is over 50. And then some. Pick stories and treatments that would interest your parents or grandparents.
10) If there’s a chance for work experience, grab it with both hands. Cancel the trip to Ibiza. Forget the birthday party. When you’re in your first job interview and an editor asks what you’ve got apart from a degree, you can point to election or match day coverage.
11) That said, make time for yourself on the other days. Do a workmanlike job, but no story, package or treatment will ever be perfect. Because the carousel never stops. Do the best job you can and move on.
12) Enjoy your time with your coursemates. It’s a small industry. If they’re any good and you’re any good your paths will keep crossing for life. You’ll be competing with each other for jobs, sure. But you can maintain friendships on all the other days.
13) So what stories have we got for today?
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The most valuable tip is writing in concise clear English. Too many graduated regard themselves a “writers” and get long winded.
As he says: ” Uni will teach you to write fluent Guardian, which is great, but you also need to have the voice to write fluent Sun.”
The only issue is that nearly all the experienced subs or journos who taught youngsters how to write in the correct style have left the trade.
I cringe at the standard of writing, especially on weeklies. It was never perfect, but it is a whole lot worse now. There are still hacks who cannot say what is wrong with “The Government ARE”. Some are on TV.
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OK, flippant maybe – but this is in jest. Sorry 😉
Toggy’s Real World Pointers
1.) Today is the first day of your professional life as a journalist.Never mind. As a lecturer I will earn more than you can dream of.
2) No-one in the real world cares about your marks, so long as you pass everything. Those Firsts meany diddly-squat if your people skills are sorely lacking
3) Driving lessons. Another expense. Don’t put journalist on your insurance – it bumps the price up.
4) What made you pick journalism. At this time? At this place? Be a lecturer!
5) There will be at least 80 of you clamouring for every low paid starting job that comes up,.
6) You can learn all you need to know of the technology in a few weeks – you can then it explain to the tutors.
7) In the real world you will hear the phrase “find a story…!!!!” The real world exists outside of twitterworld and Facebook.
8) …So be a ruthless, conniving SoB. It will be dog eat dog out there.
9) Your first job in Broadcast is likely to be in local radio. Learn to make coffee properly. If it’s the Beeb the average audience age is over 50. And then some. So you’ll have to shout at them. But be nice – their licence fee buys your Pot Noodles.
10) If there’s a chance for work experience, grab it with both hands. Employers love the no pay work slave.
11) Make time for yourself on the other days. Do a workmanlike job, – because Uni isn’t cheap and neither’s beer
12) Enjoy your time with your coursemates. Your paths may keep crossing for life so be prepared to ask one another “d’you want fries with that?” when the moment arrives.
13) You still here?
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re are far,far many more howlers that today’s hacks produce than “the Government are”, which is a matter of house style. It’s the ones who actually write or say, quite clearly, “could of” and “he may have died” when he quite clearly didn’t – but he might have – that really get my goat.
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There are, of course. My computer does funny things with first lines sometimes and there doesn’t seem to be an edit button on here any more. Brilliant tips from Richard Horsman, BTW.
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Nice one, Toggy. But in all seriousness, here’s a tip passed on to me (from a student) just before I did my NCTJ course at Harlow. It was: ‘unless you really, really want to do this, don’t’. An even more relevant comment these days, I think.
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