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JOURNALISM TRAINING SUPPLEMENT 2009
YOUR GUIDE TO
JOURNALISM TRAINING Inside Details of undergraduate, post-graduate and other journalism courses – In person: why I became a journalist – What I look for in an applicant – Should you do shorthand? – Make the most of your course
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THE
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TRAINING COURSES — 03
About this supplement
do very m king sa ent to l to s and ng also ant alism
So you think you want to be a journalist? In an industry where a strong sense of tradition remains, journalist Nicholas Tomalin’s claim that the “only qualities essential for real success in journalism are rat-like cunning, a plausible manner, and a little literary ability" still carries some weight. But journalism is a fast-changing industry – jobs are changing as new platforms are developed and the ways of getting into the career have also multiplied in recent years. Most entering the profession are graduates with a specialist vocational training course under their belt. Packed with advice from journalists who share their experiences, this guide aims to help you think about the kind of work you want to do and find the most suitable course. There is advice from industry bodies such as the National Council for the Training of Journalists, the Periodicals Training Council and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council, and because not all courses are accredited, a checklist produced by the National Union of Journalists may help you decide which is best for you. Journalism is a challenging career – getting on to a course, finding a job and moving up the career ladder takes determination and commitment. But if you think you have what it takes, this guide should help you on your way.
Inside 03 So you want to be a journalist? Jim Latham from the Broadcasting Training Council sets out what it takes 04 Accreditation: What is it and how important is it when choosing a course? 06 The Times Iraq correspondent Deborah Haynes on being a journalist, and Liz Page from the National Council for the Training of Journalists on getting into regional newspapers 08-12 Course listings: From undergraduate and post graduate to fast-track, foundation and block release 13Working in consumer and business magazines: Advice from Loraine Davies of the Periodicals Training Council 14 Journalism funding: Sources of finance for your training 15 Lee McConville on how the Diversity Fund helped him fulfill his dream of working as a journalist 16-17 Dave Lee on how to get the most out of your course 18 National Union of Journalists’ checklist for choosing the right course for you This Journalism Training 2009 supplement was edited by Julie Tomlin. It was designed by Brightbird Editorial Services (brightbird@btinternet.com) for Press Gazette
So you want to be a journalist? JOURNALISM AS A CAREER? It’s a tough world out there and getting in is a highly competitive process. We’re heading for, if not already in, a full recession – advertising income, on which everyone except the BBC relies, is falling through the floor. The industry is grappling with new technology, with varying degrees of success. There are serious questions about whether the industry can afford the journalism and news output we’ve all taken for granted up to now. Salary levels are, in some cases, pathetic, workloads daunting. Many newspapers and magazines may close or merge; ITV has severely cut back its regional news output; commercial radio is dropping news bulletins and journalists’ jobs and centralising newsrooms; many companies have put a freeze on recruitment. The nature of journalism itself is under debate, the industry is trying to define required new skills and knowledge. So tough times require some tough talking. First, despite everything, journalism remains one of the most exciting, demanding, satisfying jobs in the world. You’ll love it. But dreaming the dream isn’t enough – here’s the wake-up call. You’ll need some understanding of the world, the media and news, to
JOURNALISM CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING CAREER CHOICES YOU MAKE, BUT JUST WHAT WILL BE EXPECTED OF YOU, EVEN BEFORE TRAINING BEGINS? JIM LATHAM OF THE BROADCAST JOURNALISM TRAINING COUNCIL SPELLS IT OUT... read newspapers and magazines, watch TV, listen to radio on different platforms, not just the latest YouTube favourite. You must to be able to spell, understand the English language, express yourself articulately and correctly in writing and conversation. For broadcasting you may need a clear voice. You should be a good listener, confident, able to argue a case and be open to argument, have a curious nature, be interested in those around you.
▲
COMMITMENT It’s going to take enthusiasm, commitment, a basketful of skills and knowledge and a great deal of hard work at all hours of the day and night. And a driving licence. Then there’s your training. The days of single-medium skills are over – all employers want everything. You’ll be taught how to write for multiplatform output – at least six distinctly different skills – print, radio, TV, online, blogs and mobile phones – optimising for search engines, how to shoot/record and edit video, stills and audio, to operate in website templates with some understanding of how to design your own. You need to understand the demands of a modern, “converged” newsroom – different deadlines and priorities, choices and decisions to
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TRAINING 2009
make for the different platforms, news flows, how to manage your time to deliver on all those platforms – and still have the extra, special, spark of creativity and originality, to make the different angles you choose for each platform stand out from the others and the competition. And of course you need those traditional, core journalism skills and knowledge – knowing what a news story is, recognising it when it happens, how to research it accurately and safely, with and without internet search engines, how to distinguish truth from fiction, fact from fantasy, how to pitch it to your editor, find interviewees, pictures and audio, interview, how to do all this and remain safe and healthy, to handle risk
assessment and dangerous assignments. Then there’s the knowledge – no training in law, ethics and industry regulation makes you dangerous. No employers are taking risks these days – not with seven-figure Ofcom and High Court penalties and highly public criticism in the offing. Concepts of fairness, objectivity and trust and what they mean in modern journalism are also crucial. Because politics and government are the source of so much news, you must understand how government works at every level, which department is responsible for what role, who the players are at every level. That’s the picture TODAY. If anything, the pace of change
is increasing, even more new technology is emerging with an even-bigger impact on what we do and how we do it and the audience/readership’s also changing – it was at the root of the recent BBC Radio 2 debacle. If you’re about to enter training, the employment landscape you finally emerge into will almost certainly look very different again, so you must stay in touch with developments. That’s it. Simple really.
JIM LATHAM is Secretary of the Broadcast Journalism Training Council
About the BJTC The BJTC is a partnership of all the main employers in the UK broadcast industry. Council members set the criteria for course accreditation and then send teams of professional journalists and tutors to inspect courses and provide advice. BJTC accreditation standards are based on direct practical experience, and all accredited courses are valued by teachers, students, employers and employees, as they are relevant and responsive to the operational demands of the broadcasting industry. The BJTC is also involved in helping set vocational education policy, through another partner, Skillset, and their connection with the DfES, DCMS and QCA. www.bjtc.org.uk; www.skillset.org
Some help with choosing THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF training courses in the UK using the word journalism in their titles – at colleges, universities, private/commercial training providers. They are aimed both at entry-level students and those already working in the industry and looking for updates and career development. There are short courses, dealing in single, specific sets of skills and knowledge, parttime courses, full undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates, some recognised by the industry, some not, some expensive, some less so. Some are regarded with a degree of suspicion by employers, but many receive their unstinting support and remain their primary recruiting source. Most “media studies” courses won’t give you the essential practical skills and knowledge to convince a would-be employer – sociological analysis of journalism may be a useful background but will never replace practice skills as the starting point for a working journalist. So how do you choose the right course, the “best” course? The operative word is “accreditation” – but what does it mean? There are currently three national training organisations in the UK accrediting journalism courses – the Broadcast Journalism Training Council, the National
JIM LATHAM OF THE BJTC EXPLAINS THE PURPOSE AND VALUE OF ACCREDITED TRAINING COURSES Council for the Training of Journalists, covering newspapers and magazines and the Periodicals Training Council, covering magazines. Crucially, these bodies are the links between training providers of all types and their specific sectors of the industry. They discuss and agree with employers what skills they’re looking for, pass those requirements to the trainers and, if the trainers can deliver those skills to agreed standards, accreditation follows.Teams of employers and trainers visit the courses, inspect what they’re doing and talk to staff and students as part of the process. There are differences between the three – the NCTJ sets its own exams and is a formal qualifications body, and both the NCTJ and PTC offer their own training on a commercial basis, as do the National Union of Journalists and a few of the main employer groups. You’ll find details of courses on pages 8-12
With so many courses to chose from, how do you know which is best? Accreditation is the operative word...
JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
in this supplement and on the websites of the accrediting bodies: www.bjtc.org.uk, www.nctj.com, and www.ppa.co.uk. There are, of course, many courses which are NOT accredited, but one way of deciding whether they are any good is to use the authoritative guidelines and criteria for accreditation available from the BJTC, NCTJ and PPA, and see whether the unaccredited course you are looking at taking matches up in terms of aims and objectives, staffing, numbers of students, facilities, equipment, access, proven success rates, cost… and ask the right questions. You must be clear about what you want to do and confident that any course you select can deliver what you need to realise your ambition – the BJTC, NCTJ and PPA all offer careers advice. That’s the basics of accreditation. It’s obviously more complicated, not least because the traditional differences between print and broadcast journalism have all but disappeared and all employers, whether in print or broadcast, want ALL the skills for multiplatform journalism. It’s a huge challenge for the providers. That is why the BJTC, NCTJ and PPA now work closely together in a “shadow” group called the Joint Journalism Training Council – you’ll be hearing more about that. NUJ COURSE CHECKLIST: PAGE 18
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Journalism Courses
Train to be a journalist or photojournalist in the offices of a daily newspaper. Take our unique fast track courses, accredited by the NCTJ, to give you the skills to help you achieve your dreams of a new career. We specialise in sub-editing for newspapers, magazines and online. Our fast track NCTJ Certificate in Journalism (Sub-editing) is an intensive course in how to be a journalist. The sort of journalist who can find stories; write stories; make them legally safe and accurate and then can sub-edit other reporters' work, by cutting and correcting them; writing the headlines, laying them out on page and importing the pictures. We also teach you how to adapt these skills for the web. Our Certificate in Photojournalism is designed to equip students with the skills and experience to take pictures and video that will sell to the media. It leads to NCTJ exams on photojournalism.
Foundation Degree in Journalism 2 year course with the option to top-up to BA Honours Degree at London Metropolitan University.
NCTJ Pre-Entry Newspaper Journalism 18 weeks / 4 days a week. February and September starts. For details telephone or email Wendy McClemont at our Vauxhall Centre, Belmore Street, Wandsworth Road SW8 2JY
020 7501 5489
Brighton Journalist Works
wmcclemont@lambethcollege.ac.uk
Argus House, Crowhurst Road, Brighton, BN1 8AR
or visit the courses section on the website
01273 540350 www.journalistworks.co.uk
www.lambethcollege.ac.uk • National press • Regional press • Broadcasting • Communications
• Magazines • Online • Newswires • PR
www.jobs4journalists.co.uk OB FIND A J Use jobs4journalists and have the best jobs available at your fingertips
500 er line v O on s job now!
JOB POST A Top-notch candidates are attracted to jobs4journalists; it is THE source of the best jobs in journalism To find out how you can take advantage of our launch offers and the best source for Journalists and Communication professionals in the market, contact Laurence Capone on 0207 549 2571 or email dario.cappelli@pressgazette.co.uk
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PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY / JANUARY 2009
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JOURNALISM TRAINING 2009
First for Journalism Sheffield is one of the top universities in the country. Its BA Journalism Studies course, which prepares students for employment in the media, is rated first in the Times University Guide 2009 subject league table, and in the National Student Survey. This course is accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, the Broadcast Journalism Training Council and the Periodicals Training Council. Our applied postgraduate courses are accredited variously by one of these bodies. The top student in the NCTJ exams this year came from Sheffield’s MA in Print Journalism. Our graduates are employed all over the media, in the UK and abroad. We are highly regarded for applied teaching and research, for our industry links and for the professional backgrounds of our staff. These are our courses: BA (Hons) Journalism Studies BA (Hons) Journalism and a Modern Language (French, Spanish, German or Russian) MA/Postgraduate Diploma in Print Journalism MA/ Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism MA/Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism MA/Postgraduate Diploma in Web Journalism MA in Political Communication
Information about these courses and how to apply from:
Deborah Hayne I became a jou OVER THE PAST SEVEN DAYS, I’ve covered a mass demonstration, thrown questions at Iraq’s prime minister, interviewed would-be insurgents, chatted to Iraqi women at a beauty salon about politics, and covered a bomb attack. Next week I plan to embed with the US military, the week after I hope to travel to the southern Iraqi city of Basra, in a few minutes I have to dash off to interview a few Bulgarian and Romanian troops about their work in Iraq since the invasion. Being a journalist, particularly
DEBORAH HAYNES WAS THE FIRST WINNER OF THE TONY BEVINS “RAT UP A DRAINPIPE” AWARD, SET UP TO HONOUR THE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST BY RECOGNISING THE RIGOROUS REPORTING HE CHAMPIONED a foreign correspondent, means that no two days are the same. The hours are long, the life is often lonely and the deadlines are stressful, but the buzz of getting a great story makes everything else worthwhile.
Journalism Studies The University of Sheffield 18-22 Regent Street, Sheffield S1 3NJ
Follow in the footsteps of the UK’s top journalists, Piers Morgan, Alan Rusbridger, Kelvin MacKenzie. Like them, start YOUR career in Journalism at Harlow College’s prestigious Journalism Centre. Accredited by the NCTJ and the PTC. Prepare for your chosen career with a: Journalism degree, accredited by Anglia Ruskin University Foundation degree in Sports Journalism Or train for a job in print or online with a: Fast-track newspaper course Fast-track magazine course, or a One-year newspaper course
Telephone: (01279) 868100 Visit: www.harlow-college.ac.uk Harlow College Velizy Avenue Harlow Essex CM20 3LH
JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
Time for tea in Iraq
Liz Page: What regional editors look for Curiosity, communication skills and a sense of community. These are three qualities regional newspaper editors are looking for when recruiting the bright new talent of the future. Oh, and the ability to work long, hard hours, to write for print and online, and to expect every day to be different. Journalism is massively oversubscribed, so if you want to convince an editor you’re the one for the job you also need to demonstrate an interest in current affairs at all levels, a lively interest in people, places and events, and a clear writing style combined with good spelling,
grammar and punctuation. As well as qualities, newspaper editors are looking for skills. The traditional skills of print journalists include shorthand, up-to-date working knowledge of the law and public affairs, interviewing techniques and the ability to write in newspaper style. They are all still needed, but in a modern newsroom journalists are also likely to write for the newspaper’s website and in many cases do video reporting as well. Magazines can also be part of the newsroom mix, with their own writing style to be learned. It’s an exciting world for today’s
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JOURNALISM TRAINING 2009 — 07
nes: Why urnalist I wanted to become a IN reporter from when I was a teenager doing a two-week work-experience stint on the Aldershot News. I loved the idea of asking tough questions, uncovering secrets and communicating events in other parts of the world to people back home.
ON PERS
EXPECTATIONS
The job has more than lived up to expectations. Highlights so far include raising the plight of Iraqi interpreters working for the British military in Iraq. Many had been killed or forced to quit their job by Shia militants in the south who regard them as traitors. The day the first piece was published, the Government announced a review of policy regarding Iraqi staff. Two months later it had devised a new scheme to offer them assistance. Another event that sticks in my mind is covering the moment the United States handed back sovereignty to Iraq
Above, in Baghdad with the US commander General Petraeus
a couple of days earlier than expected at the end of June 2004, a move that caught most people off guard. I was at the handover ceremony and was made pool reporter for the subsequent departure of Paul Bremer, the then head of the US mission. As pool, you cover an event exclusively on the understanding that your copy is
for in a new recruit new journalists, with many different ways of reaching an audience, but it can be a daunting prospect. How and where do you acquire these skills? Some journalists have simply learned as they go along, but many have had formal training. In my experience, most regional newspaper editors will favour trainees with pre-entry qualifications from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. The main route into the newspaper industry is after completing a pre-entry course at a college, university or private provider. Generally, trainee
filed to everyone. As a result, I was taken out of the conference early and handed my mobile phone before the rest of the press pack (all forms of communication had been confiscated), enabling me to make a call to my bureau to report the breaking news of the handover as I was being bundled into the back of a Chinook to travel to Baghdad airport. LIVELY COLOUR
journalists are graduates, although a few newspapers still recruit after A-levels. To find out more about NCTJ training visit www.nctj.com And finally – have fun. Journalism requires dedication, hard work and long days. But it’s all worth it for that front-page story, that breaking an exclusive online and the camaraderie of your fellow hacks. Good luck!
LIZ PAGE is vice chair of the NCTJ and northern regional managing director of Archant Life magazines. She began her career as a trainee journalist at the Evening Gazette, Middlesbrough
www.pressgazette.co.uk / NEWSROOM 020 7324 2385
At times, journalism seems more like entertainment than a serious job. I remember, as a reporter for the French news agency APF, sitting in a stadium in Tokyo for the football World Cup 2002 final between Brazil and Germany. I simply had to churn out lively colour on crowd reaction in between dancing around the stalls myself. There are lots of difficult times too. Covering the 7 July attacks in London was a huge challenge. I had reported on bombings numerous times in Iraq, but the carnage felt different when it happened so close to home.
Getting a good job in journalism is tough. I was rejected multiple times. I covered innocuous beats and endured the least popular position in the newsroom, which for me was the dreaded nightshift. But it is definitely a career worth persevering with. DEBORAH HAYNES is Iraq correspondent for The Times
CV Work experience: Aldershot News, Wales News Service, Ghair Rydd (Cardiff student newspaper), FT Degree: Law and Japanese at Cardiff University, then a NCTJ course by correspondence while working for Agence-France Presse 1999: Intern at APTN, London 1999-2000: Producer for TV Tokyo, London bureau 2000-2001: Reporter on intellectual property magazine for IP Asia, based in Hong Kong and covering the Asia Pacific region 2001-2003: conomics editor for AFP, Tokyo 2003-2004: correspondent for AFP, Geneva and Baghdad 2005-2006, correspondent for AFP, London 2006-2007, correspondent for Reuters, London 2007-present, The Times, Baghdad
PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY / JANUARY 2009
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KEY: BJTC: BROADCASTJOURNALISM TRAINING COUNCIL www.bjtc.org.uk; BJTC* accreditation pending NCTJ: NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE TRAINING OF JOURNALISTS www.nctj.com PTC: PERIODICALS TRAINING COUNCIL www. ppa.co.uk
08 —
TRAINING COURSES
UNDERGRADUATE
City of Wolverhampton College www.wolverhamptoncollege.ac.uk
South East Essex College www.southend.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
NORTHBROOK COLLEGE SUSSEX 01903 606111 www.northbrook.ac.uk Foundation Degree in Digital Journalism offering the opportunity to study journalism within the world of online reporting and broadcasting. The course allows the student to explore elements of traditional journalistic practice combined with the new digital world of IPTV and interactive e-magazines. Validated by the University of Brighton.
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON London College of Communication Phone: 020 7514 6569 (general enquiries) www.lcc.arts.ac.uk
Edge Hill University www.edgehill.ac.uk NCTJ approved Glasgow Caledonian University www.gcal.ac.uk
BJTC NCTJ approved
University of Northampton www.northampton.ac.uk
University of the Arts London www.arts.ac.uk
University of Portsmouth www.port.ac.uk NCTJ approved
University for the Creative Art www.ucreative.ac.uk BJTC approved
University of Salford www.salford.ac.uk NCTJ approved
Harlow College www.harlow-college.ac.uk
University of Bedfordshire www.beds.ac.uk
PTC approved
University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk
University of Brighton www.brighton.ac.uk
BJTC NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
University of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
Leeds Trinity and All Saints www.leedstrinity.ac.uk
University of Chester www.chester.ac.uk
BJTC* NCTJ approved
Lincoln College University www.lincoln.ac.uk
University of Cumbria www.cumbria.ac.uk
BJTC PTC approved
BJTC NCTJ approved
University of Teesside www.tees.ac.uk
Liverpool John Moores University www.ljmu.ac.uk
University College Falmouth www.falmouth.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
PTC approved
University of Winchester www.winchester.ac.uk
Middlesex University www.mdx.ac.uk
University of Central Lancashire www.ukjournalism.org
BJTC approved*
Kingston University www.kingston.ac.uk
BJTC approved*
BIRKBECK UNIVERSITY OF LONDON 0207 6316000 www.bbk.ac.uk
BJTC approved
Staffordshire University www.staffs.ac.uk
BJTC* NCTJ approved
Grimsby Institute www.grimsby.ac.uk BJTC approved*
University of Lincoln www.lincoln.ac.uk
University of Stirling www.stir.ac.uk
POSTGRADUATE
BJTC NCTJ PTC approved
Midland News Association www.expressandstar.co.uk (three-year training scheme)
University of Glamorgan www.glam.ac.uk
EXETER COLLEGE Hele Road, Exeter EX4 4JS 0845 111 6000 www.exe-coll.ac.uk info4u@exe-coll.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
BJTC approved
Napier University www.napier.ac.uk
University of Gloucestshire www.glos.ac.uk
BJTC approved*
BJTC approved
Bournemouth University www.bournemouth.ac.uk
Nottingham Trent University www.ntu.ac.uk
University of Kent www.kent.ac.uk
BJTC, NCTJ, PTC approved
BJTC NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
Brunel University www.brunel.ac.uk
Southampton Solent University www.solent.ac.uk
University of Leeds www.leeds.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
BJTC PTC approved
BJTC approved
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON London College of Communication Phone: 020 7514 6569 (general enquiries) www.lcc.arts.ac.uk American University In London www.aul.edu
Ian Reeves: What I look for in an applicant IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH to impress me. I’ll be looking for a firm handshake, a dress style that wouldn’t embarrass the Queen or unnerve the proletariat, and a casual opening gambit that hints at a particularly nuanced understanding of this morning’s Telegraph leader. As you take your seat, I’ll be analysing your body language carefully to check that you’re also analysing mine. We’ll both be looking for tell-tale signs of boredom, diffidence or lack of candour. I already know you have the basic skills – the fact that you’re here JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
at all means that your application was carefully worded, grammatically immaculate and compellingly enthusiastic – so our discussion will range from yesterday’s Sun splash to this week’s New Yorker via File On Four and series 5 of The Wire. It’ll become clear to me that you have read widely. Waugh. Pilger. Littlejohn. Maybe a little light Herodotus. Such is your grasp of new media technology, you’ll mention Twitter, geotagging, and at least one platform or network that I’ve never heard of. You’ll know Channel 4 News’s current style for jump NEWSDESK 020 7324 2385 / www.pressgazette.co.uk
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The National Union of Journalists’ guide to chosing the right course: page 18 TRAINING COURSES — 09 Bangor University www.bangor.ac.uk
Lambeth College www.lambethcollege.ac.uk
Birmingham City University www.bcu.ac.uk
Leeds Trinity & All Saints www.leedstrinity.ac.uk
BJTC approved
NCTJ BJTC approved
Bournemouth University www.bournemouth.ac.uk
Liverpool Community College www.liv-coll.ac.uk
BJTC approved
NCTJ approved
Brunel University www.brunel.ac.uk
Liverpool John Moores University www.livjm.ac.uk
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NCTJ approved
City University www.ciy.ac.uk
London College Of Communication www.lcc.arts.ac.uk
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BJTC approved
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PTC BJTC approved
Cardiff University www.cardiff.ac.uk
Napier University www.napier.ac.uk
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BJTC approved*
BJTC PTC NCTJ approved
Coventry University www.coventry.ac.uk
BJTC approved*
De Montfort University www.dmu.ac.uk
Nottingham Trent University www.ntu.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
Edge Hill University www.edgehill.ac.uk
Nottingham Trent International College www.ntic.org.uk
Glasgow Caledonian University www.gcal.ac.uk
BJTC approved
Goldsmiths University of London www.gold.ac.uk
PMA Media Training www.pma-group.co.uk PTC approved
BJTC PTC approved
Staffordshire University www.staffs.ac.uk
Harlow College www.harlow-college.ac.uk
BJTC NCTJ approved
NCTJ PTC approved
The Robert Gordon University www.rgu.ac.uk
Highbury College www.highbury.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
BJTC NCTJ PTC approved
Sheffield Hallam University www.shu.ac.uk
Kingston University www.kingston.ac.uk
University of the Arts London www.arts.ac.uk
cuts, and how Photoshop’s clone tool works. You’ll promise to email me the link to your data mash-up experiment. And as our interview draws to a close, I’ll wonder if your desire to be a journalist has really come across. Because if I can genuinely sense the hunger burning, then I’ll forgive you if all the rest is missing. After all, that’s what we’re here to teach you.
The Lincoln School of Journalism Study at the Lincoln School of Journalism and you will enjoy generous facilities for every journalism activity, with seven newsrooms, plus a substantial and very well equipped three camera studio, and a full scale FM radio station. You’ll be taught by teaching staff with high quality industry experience as well as practising professionals.
▲
NCTJ PTC approved
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Newcastle University www.ncl.ac.uk
IAN REEVES is director of learning and teaching at the University of Kent’s Centre for Journalism www.centrefor journalism.co.uk
www.pressgazette.co.uk / NEWSROOM 020 7324 2385
Undergraduate Courses
Postgraduate Courses
I I I I
I MA Journalism I MA Sports Journalism I MA Science & Environmental Journalism
FdA Community Journalism* BA Hons Journalism (BJTC accredited) BA Hons Advertising & Journalism BA Hons American Studies & Journalism
I BA Hons Criminology & Journalism I BA Hons English & Journalism I BA Hons Film and Television & Journalism I BA Hons History & Journalism I BA Hons Investigative Journalism & Research*
I MA Journalism, War and International Human Rights* I MA Community Radio* I MA Arts Journalism*
* subject to validation currently undergoing BJTC accreditation
Telephone 01522 886644 Email enquiries@lincoln.ac.uk
www.lincoln.ac.uk PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY / JANUARY 2009
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TRAINING COURSES
University of Central Lancashire www.uclan.ac.uk
University of The West of Scotland www.paisley.ac.uk BJTC approved
MAGAZINE / BA
Kingston University London www.kingston.ac.uk
BJTC NCTJ approved
University College Falmouth www.falmouth.ac.uk
University Of Ulster – Coleraine Campus www.ulster.ac.uk
BJTC approved
BJTC NCTJ approved
University for the Creative Arts www.ucreative.ac.uk
SPORTS / UNDERGRADUATE
University of Glamorgan www.glam.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
University of Lincoln www.lincoln.ac.uk University of Leeds www.leeds.ac.uk University of Salford www.salford.ac.uk NCTJ approved
University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk NCTJ, PTC, BJTC approved
Cardonald College www.cardonald.ac.uk
Leeds Trinity & All Saints www.leedstrinity.ac.uk Staffordshire University www.staffs.ac.uk
University of Central Lancashire www.uclan.ac.uk NCTJ PTC approved
University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON London College of Communication Phone: 020 7514 6569 (general enquiries) www.lcc.arts.ac.uk
University of Strathclyde www.strath.ac.uk Univeristy of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
Southampton Solent University www.solent.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
PTC approved
NEWSPAPER / BA
University of Central Lancashire www.ukjournalism.org
University of Bedfordshire www.beds.ac.uk
University of Bedfordshire www.beds.ac.uk
University of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
University of Gloucestershire www.glos.ac.uk Univeristy of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
University of Brighton www.brighton.ac.uk NCTJ approved
University of Strathclyde www.strath.ac.uk
University of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
University of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
SPORTS / POSTGRADUATE
NCTJ approved
London College Of Communication www.lcc.arts.ac.uk
University of Teeside www.tees.ac.uk NCTJ approved
Sheffield Hallam University www.shu.ac.uk
University of Westminster www.wmin.ac.uk
Staffordshire University www.staffs.ac.uk
BJTC approved
BJTC approved
NEWS / POSTGRADUATE MAGAZINE / POSTGRADUATE Cardiff University www.cardiff.ac.uk
Cardiff University www.cardiff.ac.uk NCTJ approved
City University www.city.ac.uk PTC approved
City University www.city.ac.uk
Harlow College www.harlow-college.ac.uk NCTJ PTC approved
De Montfort University www.dmu.ac.uk NCTJ approved
Highbury College www.highbury.ac.uk PTC approved PMA Media Training www.pma-group.co.uk PTC approved
Edge Hill University www.edgehill.ac.uk Harlow College www.harlow-college.ac.uk NCTJ approved
Should you learn shorthand? The arguments for and against TRAINING IN SHORTHAND is required on all NCTJ-accredited courses and is often offered on non-newspaper focused training as an optional extra. Should you look for a course that offers it? Today it is possible to get by without shorthand using a dictaphone, and there are numerous gadgets available that can record phone interviews. If you work on a busy news desk it isn’t always practical to be transcribing – or repeating interviews if the dictaphone or its batteries fail. Shorthand is very useful if you want to work in news. For feature writing or work for a JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
website it is a skill you may use less frequently. William Stewart, a Times Education Supplement reporter, says he would be “lost without it. Having shorthand means you can make a quick reference to your notes instead of listening through hours of recordings”. Nat Davies, who is on the IPC Media Graduate scheme, says she rarely uses it: “I learned shorthand, but working on the web means I rarely use it. It’s occasionally useful when taking down dialogue from video interviews and TV clips for news stories, but I could cope fine without it.” Méabh Ritchie
NEWSDESK 020 7324 2385 / www.pressgazette.co.uk
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TRAINING COURSES — 11 Leeds Trinity & All Saints www.leedstrinity.ac.uk
Northbrook College Sussex www.northbrook.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
Leeds Trinity & All Saints www.leedstrinity.ac.uk
Edge Hill University www.edgehill.ac.uk
BJTC approved
University of Huddersfield www.hud.ac.uk
Nottingham Trent University www.ntu.ac.uk
Nottingham Trent University www.ntu.ac.uk
Glasgow Caledonian University www.gcal.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
University of Teesside www.tees.ac.uk
BJTC approved
Goldsmiths, University of London www.gold.ac.uk
Sheffield Hallam University www.shu.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
BROADCAST / BA
BJTC approved
The Sheffield College, Norton Centre www.sheffcol.ac.uk
Bournemouth University www.bournemouth.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
BJTC approved
EXETER COLLEGE Hele Road, Exeter EX4 4JS 0845 111 6000 www.exe-coll.ac.uk info4u@exe-coll.ac.uk
University of Central Lancashire www.uclan.ac.uk
Glasgow Caledonian University www.gcal.ac.uk
Nottingham Trent University www.ntu.ac.uk BJTC approved
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk
Newcastle University www.newcastle.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
BJTC approved
Staffordshire University www.staffs.ac.uk/journalism
University of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
Nottingham Trent University www.ntu.ac.uk
BJTC approved
Nottingham Trent University www.ntu.ac.uk BJTC approved
University of Glamorgan www.glam.ac.uk
Sheffield Hallam University www.shu.ac.uk
MULTIMEDIA / POSTGRADUATE
NCTJ approved
University of Central Lancashire www.uclan.ac.uk
University of Ulster – Coleraine Campus www.ulster.ac.uk
Middlesex University www.mdx.ac.uk BJTC approved*
University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk
MULTIMEDIA / UNDERGRADUATE
BJTC approved
Bournemouth University www.bournemouth.ac.uk
RADIO
BJTC NCTJ PTC approved
University of Gloucestershire www.glos.ac.uk
BJTC approved
Leeds Trinity & All Saints www.leedstrinity.ac.uk
Staffordshire University www.staffs.ac.uk BJTC approved
BJTC approved
University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk
University of Leeds www.leeds.ac.uk
BJTC approved
City University (Foundation) www.city.ac.uk
BJTC approved
University of the Arts London www.arts.ac.uk
BJTC approved
University of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
Goldsmiths, University of London www.gold.ac.uk
BJTC approved*
NCTJ approved
BJTC approved
BROADCAST / POSTGRADUATE
BJTC approved
University College Falmouth www.falmouth.ac.uk BJTC approved
IN PERSON
University of the West of Scotland www.paisley.ac.uk BJTC approved
Siobhan Kennedy is the business correspondent, Channel 4 News science ambitions and stayed. “Covering the internet boom got me a really good profile, and in my six-seven years in New York, I ended up working for the New York Reuters newswire. It was a fantastic experience. I was there for 9/11 and other big stories. “There’s no glamour in it – you can stand in the freezing cold for hours to get a 20-second shot. You have to have a passion for digging, an inquisitive mind and lots of energy. The more you put into it, the more you get out.”
www.pressgazette.co.uk / NEWSROOM 020 7324 2385
University of Central Lancashire www.uclan.ac.uk
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON London College of Communication Phone: 020 7514 6569 (general enquiries) www.lcc.arts.ac.uk
University of Westminster www.wmin.ac.uk BJTC approved
PHOTO JOURNALISM
Birmingham City University www.bcu.ac.uk BJTC approved
Cardiff University www.cardiff.ac.uk City University www.city.ac.uk
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON London College of Communication Phone: 020 7514 6569 (general enquiries) www.lcc.arts.ac.uk
▲
“I DID BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES at Exeter and then some work experience at the BBC natural history Unit. I wanted to get into making wildlife programmes but was advised by the BBC to get a job in journalism first. “I landed a job at a B2B magazine and was there for about two years. It gave me a solid journalistic grounding, and in all my work at Reuters, The Times and now at ITN, I’m still using those skills. “I was sent on a press trip to the USA just at the time when the internet boom was beginning and I fell for New York, so I parked my wildlife/
London College Of Communication www.lcc.arts.ac.uk
BJTC approved*
Press Association Training Centre (Foundation) www.pa-training.co.uk
Siobhan Kennedy
BJTC approved
BJTC approved
BJTC approved
BJTC NCTJ approved
Highbury College www.highbury.ac.uk
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TRAINING COURSES
PHOTOGRAPHY
University of Northampton www.northampton.ac.uk
News Associates/ Sportsbeat (London/ Manchester) www.welovejournalism.co.uk
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
University of Wolverhampton www.wlv.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
www.warkscol.ac.uk
PUBLISHING
BJTC approved*
THE PUBLISHING TRAINING CENTRE 0208 874 2718 www.train4publishing.co.uk
Nosweat Journalistm Training www.nosweatjt.co.uk
HND
FAST-TRACK NCTJ approved
Cardonald College www.cardonald.co.uk
The Sheffield College, Norton Centre www.sheffcol.ac.uk
GROUP/VOCATIONAL
UP TO SPEED JOURNALISM TRAINING www.uptospeedjournalism.com
NCTJ approved
PMA Media Training www.pma-group.co.uk
NCTJ approved
City College Brighton & Hove www.ccb.ac.uk PRESS ASSOCIATION TRAINING 0870 8376471 www.pa-training.co.uk www.becomeareporter.co.uk Choosing the right course as a trainee reporter is crucial. The UK’s leading national and regional newspaper publishers choose ours. It’s embedded in the offices of the Newcastle Chronicle, Journal Sunday Sun and has an employment record second to none. Find out why at www.becomeareporter.co.uk
NCTJ approved
SUB-EDITING
Highbury College www.highbury.ac.uk
THE PUBLISHING TRAINING CENTRE 0208 874 2718 www.train4publishing.co.uk Brighton Journalist Works www.journalistworks.co.uk
Cornwall College Camborne www.cornwall.ac.uk
The Sheffield College, Norton Centre www.sheffcol.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
University of Northampton www.northampton.ac.uk
BLOCK RELEASE Sutton Coldfield College www.sutcol.ac.uk NCTJ approved
Darlington College of Technology www.darlington.ac.uk NCTJ approved
ACADEMIC YEAR
NCTJ approved
City of Wolverhampton College www.wolverhamptoncollege.ac.uk
Highbury College www.highbury.ac.uk
Darlington College of Technology www.darlington.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
Harlow College www.harlow-college.ac.uk
Harlow College www.harlow-college.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
The Sheffield College, Norton Centre www.sheffcol.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
Liverpool Community College www.liv-coll.ac.uk
DAY RELEASE
National Broadcasting School www.nationalbroadcastingschool.com
NCTJ approved
BJTC approved
City of Wolverhampton College www.wolverhamptoncollege.ac.uk
Sutton Coldfield College www.sutcol.ac.uk NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
NCTJ approved
Liverpool Community College www.liv-coll.ac.uk NCTJ approved
The Sheffield College, Norton Centre www.sheffcol.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
Lambeth College www.lambethcollege.ac.uk
NCTJ approved
Cardonald College www.cardonald.co.uk
Warwickshire College
Cardonald College www.cardonald.co.uk
Liverpool Community College www.liv-coll.ac.uk NCTJ approved ■
NCTJ approved
EMPLOYER GRADUATE SCHEMES FOUNDATION City University www.city.ac.uk BJTC approved* Cornwall College Camborne www.cornwall.ac.uk NCTJ approved
Grimsby Institute www.grimsby.ac.uk BJTC approved*
Lambeth College www.lambethcollege.ac.uk NCTJ approved
London Metropolitan University www.londonmet.ac.uk Press Association Training Centre www.pa-training.co.uk
One of the best ways to get started on the career ladder is through a graduate training scheme. Competition is fierce, particularly this year when many of the schemes have reduced their intake, and a couple of the application forms are a challenge in themselves to complete. But a place on a graduate scheme will give a further boost to the skills learned on your course and will most likely lead to a job at the same company when the scheme is done. Application deadlines can be at any time of the year, from the BBC in October to IPC in June, so keep checking for advertisements in Press Gazette magazine, jobs4journalists.co.uk and the individual websites listed here. Don’t think you’ll be OK by bashing out a covering letter an hour before the deadline. Most require cuttings from your portfolio and answers to a serious number of probing questions, so give yourself enough time to present yourself well. Nor is it a case of sending the same cover letter to
a list of email addresses, so leave yourself plenty of time to prepare your application.
Newspapers Financial Times: www.ft.com/hr/graduates Guardian: www.gnmcareers.co.uk Times:ww.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/educat ion/student/how_to_get_a_job/article1115620.ece Trinity Mirror Group: www.trinitymirror.com/careers/editorial Associated Newspapers (Daily Mail): www.dmgtopportunities.com/associatednewspapers/ Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/graduate scheme.xml
Broadcast Reuters: www.careers.thomsonreuters.com BBC: www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/jts ITV: www.itvjobs.com
Magazines IPC Media: www.ipcmedia.com/jobs CMP: www.cmpi.biz/peopleandcareers Information about other publishers’ schemes was unavailable at the time of going to print. ■
The National Union of Journalists’ 10 Questions to ask about a training course: see page 18
NCTJ approved
JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
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So you want to work in magazines? Choosing a course Look for one that balances vocational learning with academic stretch. The programme should allow plenty of time for you to develop core journalism skills and should ideally include shorthand. Make sure the course tutors have recent experience of working in magazines and have good industry contacts – if they haven’t, they’ll struggle to get great guest speakers and you may find it difficult to get good work experience. Check whether the course has PTC accreditation. For PTC accredited course info see www.ppa.co.uk/cgi-bin/wms. pl/1130 (and check the listings on pages 8-12 in this supplement).
LORAINE DAVIES, DIRECTOR OF THE PERIODICALS TRAINING COUNCIL, OFFERS HER ADVICE Finally, look at where past graduates have ended up. The more grads who go on to work in magazines, the better the course is at equipping them with the skills they need to get that all-important first job.
able to make a meaningful contribution. PPA represents 80 per cent of the UK magazine market and all member contact details are listed on PPA’s website at www.ppa.co.uk.
Work experience
Training in the industry
Work experience is absolutely essential and you should start applying for positions as soon as you start your course. Do your research and don’t just pick the more obvious glossy consumer magazines as they are often inundated with applications. Think laterally and apply to magazines to which you’ll be
Do invest in your own skills making sure they are up to date. PPA Training has a close relationship with PPA members and so is able to spot trends and move quickly to deliver relevant training. For short, fast-paced and progressive courses visit www.ppa.co.uk/cgi-bin/wms. pl/413
Audrey Ward: My journey into magazine journalism
Chris Wheal: Journalism is not a 9am-5pm job IN PERSON JOURNALISM HAS NEVER been a nine-to-five job and is increasingly less so. Apart from the early shifts for evening papers and the late shifts for morning papers, the internet and other new media mean news is a 24-hour job. I now write web news between 6am and 8am every weekday. This involves sourcing stories, waking up out-of-hours press officers and watching the wires and announcements from the stock market. I try to break news as well as flag up what has been reported elsewhere when I can’t track down the original sources. And I write comment and analysis. The aim is to inform those readers who get into the office early and want a quick way of finding out
what is happening in their market. Journalists of the future will have to embrace different hours to their parents and find a way of fitting them in with their changing lifestyles. Mornings suit me because I can then take a break and go on school trips with my daughter, for example. The problems arise when trying to organise a drink with a former colleague who does the late-night shift on the FT. Everyone will need to work different hours at different times in their life. In the future, the journalist who works nine-to-five will be the odd one out. CHRIS WHEAL is a freelance
journalist and chairs the National Union of Journalists’ Professional Training Committee (ProfCom)
www.pressgazette.co.uk / NEWSROOM 020 7324 2385
BEFORE I GOT INTO JOURNALISM, I had qualified as a lawyer and was working at a film company. I was getting quite bored by the work as it wasn’t very creative. I was stuck in a back room office and could see the media types getting on with their work and it looked fun. I won a writing competition in the Daily Telegraph and spoke to some journalists there about pursuing journalism as a career. They put me in touch with Jane Fryer, who works for the Daily Mail and had been a lawyer before that. She gave me loads of advice and recommended doing the City magazine course. I did a bit of research and looked into the Cardiff course as well, but City was only down the road and had a great reputation. The course was really good, especially for someone like me who didn’t know very much about the industry. It was very hands-on: we were
N IN PERSO sent out into Upper Street in Islington to get stories and sent off to real press conferences, and there were some great lecturers. The thing I would say most courses are lacking is newmedia stuff but, having said that, I’m working for Screen magazine now and they’re planning to train their staff up, so it’s not too much of an issue. I’d love to eventually write for one of the broadsheet magazines, The Observer or The Sunday Times. I really like doing interviews and meeting people, and then putting it all together. AUDREY WARD was named the Periodicals Training Council’s most promising student at the 2008 New Journalist Awards, for new or young journalists in the UK magazine industry
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Journalism training is expensive – whether it is tuition fees, living expenses, books and other materials, equipment or examinations. In England and Wales this means you (or your parents) coming up with the funding – through student loans, savings, working part-time. Geography counts – London means premium-rate tuition fees (up to £8,000 for a one-year postgraduate course) and higher living expenses. While it is true that much of the UK media industry is London based, it doesn’t always follow that work/employment opportunities are better in the capital. Elsewhere training is much cheaper – parts of the North and the South West are classed as EU Objective Status 1 areas and enjoy heavily subsidised rates – and lower living expenses. If you’re Scottish and taking an undergraduate degree in journalism at a Scottish university, your fees
FUNDING: COME AND GET IT will be paid by the Scottish Awards Agency for Scotland. Scottish universities can also apply to the SAAS for funding for some postgraduate courses, and journalism courses have benefited from this arrangement. Full details can be seen at www.saas.gov.uk. In addition to the demand from entry-level students, recent broadcasting redundancies have led to a rush of experienced staff seeking updated skills. They can benefit from courses subsidised by the Skillset TV Freelance Fund (www.skillset.org/tv /funding/individuals/article_2595_ 1.asp) or a Screen Bursary to offset training costs (www.skillset.org/ film/funding/bursaries). It’s not just about college and university. While today it is pretty much a graduate industry, other ways in do still exist. Some newspapers recruit
trainees directly – from their local areas – and then pay for their training at an established NCTJ training centre as part of their contract. Commercial providers set their own fee scales. These can be private companies, though established media organisations such as the BBC, Press Association and the NUJ also offer training on a commercial basis. DIVERSITY The UK consists of a highly complex population, made up of many different social, ethnic, cultural, religious, political, racial groups, with different disabilities, genders, ages, sexual orientations and beliefs. UK newsrooms are a good deal less diverse, but are working hard to catch up. Bursaries and scholarships,
largely aimed at postgraduate courses, have almost dried up or been replaced by focused funding and traineeships, aimed at creating much more representative newsrooms and targetting applicants from ethnic and disadvantaged backgrounds. The NCTJ Journalism Diversity Fund (www.journalismdiversity fund) using industry donations and the NUJ George Viner Memorial Fund (www.georgeviner.org.uk) both support students on established training courses. The BBC Journalism Training Scheme and the ITV News Trainee Scheme, both delivered in-house, are aimed at students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to train as journalists. Some bursaries remain – Sky News, Bloomberg, one or two BBC Regions, C4, Guardian Media Group, still offer a small number to selected courses. Make sure you ask what’s available when you apply to your chosen course.
humanities Leicester Centre for Journalism There’s no better place to study than DMU • Ranked among the top UK universities for NCTJ results • Nationally acclaimed NCTJ-accredited courses delivered for 15 years • Experienced and inspiring journalism lecturers, all ex-newspaper editors • Exciting work experience opportunities – students have recently been to ITV News, GMTV, The Guardian, BBC East Midlands, Q magazine and regional newspapers all over the UK • Excellent degree results and superb employment opportunities
Courses for 2009 • Journalism BA Honours (Joint or Single Honours) • Journalism MA/PG Dip • Sports Journalism MA* • Magazine Journalism MA* • Sub-editing and Design Journalism MA* *New for 2009
New courses for 2010 • Sports Journalism BA Honours • Magazine Journalism BA Honours • Journalism Sub-editing and Design BA Honours
For further information:
T: (0116) 250 6199 E: humanities_ug@dmu.ac.uk W: dmu.ac.uk/leicestercentreforjournalism JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
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On the write road now... I WAS PUT IN TOUCH with the charity Fairbridge, which supports young people not in education or training. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always had a real interest in what is going on in the world, and although I did not necessarily realise it at the time, this is one of the key requisite traits of a successful journalist. After I made a speech at the London Imax, the Media Trust accepted me on a youth mentoring programme, and I found out that the NCTJ has a diversity fund [see page 14]. I passed the pre-entry exam for Harlow College Journalism Centre, in Essex, was awarded a bursary, and started a one-year course there in September.
A TURBULENT EARLY LIFE IN A CRIME-RIDDEN PART OF BIRMINGHAM HAD BROUGHT LEE McCONVILLE TO HIS LOWEST EBB, AND HE BELIEVED HE WAS EITHER GOING TO FINISH UP IN PRISON OR DEAD...
Harlow is the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest journalism institute and has trained the likes of Piers Morgan, Richard Madeley, Kelvin MacKenzie, Martin Bell and even my mentor, Philip Webster. I have learnt so much about life as a journalist, and the experiences I have gained have been incredible: I have been to the G8 Summit, interviewed all three party leaders, including Gordon
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I passed the pre-entry and was awarded a bursary... Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have laughed if two years ago youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d said Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be studying journalismâ&#x20AC;?
Brown, at the party RSON conferences, had N PE I features published in The Times and Guardian newspapers, been on the couch with Richard and Judy, and starred in my own Sky documentary: McConville Reports. To any young person interested in applying for media based courses, my advice would be to go for it. My experiences have been life changing and I have met some truly inspirational characters on my journey. Two years ago, I would have laughed if you had said I would be studying journalism. But I hope that my own story proves that with determination, a willingness to work hard, and a positive outlook, anything can Lee McConville met film actor Kevin be achieved. Spacey at a Fairbridge charity event
For more information visit: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/media
Make sure youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the media spotlight The Media School at Bournemouth University is the largest centre for professionally-based Higher Education for the media industries in the UK.
s 3TRONG LINKS WITH NATIONAL AND LOCAL MEDIA ORGANISATIONS
s BA (Hons) Multi-Media Journalism*
s (IGH PROFILE GUEST LECTURES
s BA (Hons) Communications and Media
We prepare our graduates to excel in the competitive international marketplace by providing excellent opportunities:
s 3UPERB WORK PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
s %XPOSURE TO THE UNDERLYING AND CUTTING EDGE ISSUES s !CADEMIC STAFF WITH PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE s 7ORK IS PRODUCED WITH INDUSTRY STANDARD PACKAGES AND TO DEADLINE
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s MA Multi-Media Journalism* s MA Writing for the Media s MBA Media
*Accredited by PTC, NCTJ and BJTC
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• Undergraduate Courses • Day Release Courses • Two year foundation Courses • Distance Learning Postgraduate • Photojournalism and Press Photography • Vocational and Group Training • Broadcast Journalism • Magazine Journalism • Investigative Journalism • NVQ’s
www.warnborough.ac.uk 01227 762107
THE
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To order your copies call +44 20 7549 8666 JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
Dave Lee: Ma out of your ti THE MAIN PROBLEM with learning journalism is that thousands of students are doing it too. You want to be a brilliant and successful journalist. But it takes more than just wanting. It takes dedication on your course, good experience, life skills and the ability to pull all three together at the same time. Often on the same day. The key to journalism education is balance. You need to balance everything perfectly. Your coursework must be dealt with hand-in-hand with your extra-curricular journalism – of which there should be plenty. Pile on top a need for a social life and you’ll soon discover this doesn’t leave too many hours free in the day. Don’t panic – it can all be done. Often some of it at 2am, but done nevertheless. Different techniques work for different people. Some of us are great at organising ourselves. Others – and I think most may be like this – need a little help. Don’t be ashamed to compile list after list of things to do. Arrange them however you please – one idea I like is to put the most enjoyable aspects at the bottom, ensuring the most arduous get done first. OPPORTUNITY Early on, it’s important to establish what’s important to you: which pieces of work you should spend most of your time on. Sometimes this will be simple, but there will be other times when coursework has to come second if a career-advancing opportunity arises. If you have good tutors, they should support your decision. You are there, after all, to get a job. Spend any free time you have building and maintaining
RECENT JOURNALISM GRADUATE DAVE LEE HAS SOME TOP ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR TIME LEARNING REALLY PAY OFF working relationships. Apply for placements and pitch freelance articles to editors. All these will help you get work when you leave, and who you know could really set you apart from the thousands of others searching for that first in. The old adage of “getting a foot in the door” is now more true than ever. Get involved with journalism opportunities on your doorstep. Write for the student newspaper. If there isn’t one, start one – it’ll make you look great. Find out what local media you can capitalise on. If you’re into sport, there’s always an extra job that needs doing on a Saturday – you just need to convince them that you’re the person to do it. There’s no better way to get your work seen immediately than by starting a blog. Pick a subject, get signed up (for free, Wordpress.com or Blogger.com are good places to start) and get writing. With just a little effort, you have a potential audience of millions. If your portfolio is lacking published articles, your blog can be used to impress editors. It shows your ability to tackle a subject and nurture a specialism. If you’re studying at a university, it’s a good idea to identify a lecturer whom you trust and respect – as a journalist or a person, but preferably both – who you can look to as a mentor. When tutors have many students to look after, finding
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RSON IN PE
ake the most time learning one you know will reply to emails and give you sound and honest advice is a must if you are to do well. A good way to establish these relationships is to volunteer for whatever you can – faculty open days are a good place to start. Now is the perfect time to make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up over them but enjoy them – they make great anecdotes for your friends who are on boring courses. You will make plenty of mistakes too, each just as foolish as the next. This is why journalism needs to be taught – because mistakes happen. If we could all do it perfectly straight away, then we’d all just join a newspaper and get started. So come to terems with the fact that you will make mistakes, and resolve to learn from them. FLAT BATTERIES Learn the horrible lesson of carrying spare batteries everywhere while you’re still learning, not on the job. Your tutor should be supportive and understanding the first time your batteries go flat on you and you have no back-up. Editors have no such understanding. They only understand that their pages /airtime need to be filled. Don’t be afraid of venturing into areas that you aren’t being taught. Journalism is constantly evolving. Your tutors couldn’t possibly keep up – but you can. Read about new technology. Try it out; get used to it. Soon you’ll be an expert, entering the workforce with a wealth of knowledge so deep you’ll be the most useful member of the team. The most important thing, though, is to push yourself while
you’re on your course. Sure, if you’re really sneaky you can make up quotes or sources – tutors rarely have time to check – but who are you helping? You could get by doing stories about your mates if you want – you probably know someone in a band who is this close to getting a record deal. We all do it, but you’ll get an awful shock when you get your first job and you haven’t learnt to interview properly. You’ll be wishing you hadn’t gone for the easy option. Instead, arrange interviews with people you’ve never met; people that you’ll be scared stiff of interviewing. Keep thinking that if you get a good interview out of them, you’re sure to get a top grade. It’s better to get over your nerves about interviewing early on. Otherwise, the pressure of impressing a new editor, getting a story and meeting a deadline could be enough to push you over the edge, and probably push you off the payroll too. And last, but not least, remember to have fun. A happy journalist is a motivated journalist. And a motivated one is a good one. It’s enthusiasm and ambition that push you to spending hours chasing people on the phone for that killer quote. Or spending hours in the rain for that killer picture. You never know, it might just lead to a killer job.
JOURNALISM TRAINING 2009 — 17 QUALITY JOURNALISM TRAINING IN CENTRAL LONDON
GRADUATE INTERNSHIPS ON A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PRELIMINARY NEWSPAPER JOURNALISM CERTIFICATE (NCTJ) Ful and part time NCTJ accredited courses: 23 and 43 weeks; exams, portfolio and your own paper. DIPLOMA IN MAGAZINE JOURNALISM Full and part time industry recognised courses: 14 and 24 weeks; exams, portfolio and own magazine (all NCTJ exams included.) Core subjects; news writing, features, media law, shorthand, portfolio, business of magazines and sub-editing. *Former students now working for the Guardian; Daily Mirror; the Independent ; the Independent on Sunday; The Sunday Times; Reuters; Dow Jones and a host of top flight provincial and national newspapers and magazine noSWeat journalism training 020 7490 206 16 CLERKENWELL CLOSE LONDON ECIR 0AN Apply online: www.nosweatjt.co.uk
DAVE LEE
graduated from the University of Lincoln and is now the co-editor of the BBC internet blog
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PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY / JANUARY 2009
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JOURNALISM TRAINING 2009
BA Journalism (NCTJ Accreditation) Broadcast Journalism MA/PGDIP International Journalism, MA Magazine Journalism, MA Newspaper Journalism, PGDIP Newspaper Journalism, MA
The NUJ says check here to see if course is right one for you CHOOSING A COURSE may seem daunting when there are so many to choose from. The listings on pages 8-12 are marked according to whether they have received accreditation from the National Council for the Training of Journalists, Broadcast Journalism Training Council or the Periodicals Training Council. A few of them have received accreditation from all three. While the accreditation system is an obvious marker to look for, it is worth noting that there are a number of highly regarded university courses that have chosen not to seek accreditation. If a course you
are interested in is not accredited, it would be worth finding out why. CAREER ADVICE To help you navigate your way through the process of selecting a course we have reproduced Ten Questions To Ask about Journalism Courses, published by the National Union of Journalists on its website. The NUJ’s training website offers careers advice and information about jobs in the different sectors, as well as advice on training and training courses and information about its own training. www.nujtraining.org.uk
Online Journalism, MA International Documentary and Factual Television Production, MA
For more information +44 (0)1895 265265 admissions@brunel.ac.uk www.brunel.ac.uk
JANUARY 2009 / PRESS GAZETTE — JOURNALISM TODAY
out training courses: 10 questions to ask ab course cost and are any 1. How much does the ilable? bursaries or grants ava the begin and end, what’s rse cou the s doe 2. When there are rs hou t tac con ny class size and how ma in a typical week? torical inantly theoretical, his 3. Is the course predom or practical? y and, ited by an industry bod 4. Is the course accred if so, which one? the course? , if any, is attached to 5. What qualification lectures) rse (including visiting 6. How much of the cou ed former enc g journalists or experi is taught by practisin journalists? and, lude work experience 7. Does the course inc g? lon if so, where and for how skills and m cover the practical ulu ric cur the es Do 8. you (for sts ere int for a job that context you will need y editing, cop of ics bas the d to learn example, subs will nee use of Quark rection, page make-up, mark-up and proof cor and ethics)? Xpress, journalism law phones, d on this course (PCs, use is 9. What equipment available, is ch mu how , and so on) cameras, editing suites it? many students share how old is it, and how are working tes dua gra ent rec of 10. What proportion ere? as journalists and wh
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MAKE IT HAPPEN Our ex-students are in constant demand, with more than 80% gaining employment in the industry. We were the top further education college for NCTJ exam results in the country last year and were praised as ‘excellent and enthusiastic’. We’ve got what it takes – now you make it happen.
Want to find out MORE ? Text MORE to 60081* for info or call 0845 22 32 567 www.cornwall.ac.uk *STANDARD OPERATOR RATES APPLY CHARITY BY STATUTE
THERE’S MORE TO CORNWALL COLLEGE
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Centre for Broadcasting & Journalism
Journalism courses
Based in the vibrant city of Nottingham, the Centre for Broadcasting & Journalism offers a portfolio of outstanding and successful journalism courses. The Centre is based in brand new state-of-the-art-facilities and students enjoy a realistic working environment in the UK’s biggest student newsroom and studio suite. Undergraduate courses: • BA (Hons) Broadcast Journalism Students on this course will cultivate the skills, knowledge and practical experience required for the research, production, presentation and management of broadcast news. • BA (Hons) Print Journalism On this course, core modules will be studied alongside sport, magazine, online and celebrity journalism, equipping graduates with the necessary skills for a successful career. Postgraduate courses: • MA/PG Dip Magazine Journalism (New for 2009!) • MA/PG Dip Newspaper Journalism • MA/PG Dip Radio Journalism • MA/PG Dip Television Journalism (an option developing English language skills is available for international students) Every year our students win National Awards and go on to become successful journalists.
For further information please contact: Tel: 0115 848 5803/5806 Email: cbj@ntu.ac.uk Visit: www.ntu.ac.uk/journalism