Journalism & Communication

The NCTJ Student council meeting took place at Salford MediaCityUK

Student representatives from NCTJ accredited journalism courses met this week to give feedback on the NCTJ training and examinations.

Just over 40 students from around the country attended the 4^th annual NCTJ Student Council meeting, held this year in Salford University’s new MediaCityUK campus.

Samantha Herbert, third year BA Multi-media Journalism student attended the event as representative for Bournemouth University.

Tasked with relaying the opinions of their course mates, the students spent the first portion of the day in discussion with the staff of the NCTJ led by NCTJ Chief Executive, Joanne Butcher.

During the session students were also informed of progress made following on from the 2011 Council meeting. This included the move to have more information on the NCTJ website for students, increasing the direct communication to students studying for their qualifications. This is set to include a student newsletter – the first of which should be received by students in the coming weeks.

Due to concerns raised last year that students were being given too little opportunity to specialise in subjects, the NCTJ have also been looking at new options such as financial, business, health and international journalism as possible new specialisms to introduce in the future.

The word from the NCTJ staff was to watch this space, as much change and progress is in development and will be implemented soon.

Following the morning feedback session students then attended a ‘Meet the Editors panel’ chaired by Chris Elliott, Readers’ Editor, Guardian News and Media. Alongside Elliott was Lynn Ashweel, Deputy Editor Bolton News, Eamonn O’Neal, Managing Editor MEN Media and Michelle Mayman, TV Editor BBC North West Tonight.

Students were able to pose questions and seek advice from these industry professionals on a broad range of subjects, from how to write a stand-out CV, to what they saw as the future of the media industry.

To finish off the day, a tour of the new BBC MediaCityUK buildings was organised which visited the Match of the Day studio, the practice space used by the BBC philharmonic orchestra and brand new BBC newsrooms.

Five representatives from the February’s student council meeting will meet later this year in London to communicate the main concerns and suggestions raised at this week’s meetings to the NCTJ board.

Inside the world of the Fleet Street Fox

Anonymous blogger Fleet Street Fox visited Bournemouth University this week to give a guest lecture to third year BA Multi-media Journalism students.

The tabloid journalist who has worked on almost all of the nationals as well as local newspapers provided students with an insight into the worlds of both newspaper reporting and online blogging.

For the past year, Fleet Street Fox has given her online followers a reporters’ eye view on the top news stories of the day, with views averaging one hundred thousand hits a month.

Telling students of her experience, Fleet Street Fox said that blogging was a release, and an outlet for the opinions she is unable to reveal in her news reporting.

Students were also able to question the renowned blogger on all things from her book plans, her aspirations, her work experience and her opinions on phone hacking.

The lecture was part of the Professional Perspectives unit for third year BA Multi-media Journalism students in which industry speakers visit the university to speak about the issues facing modern journalists.

Next week’s guest speaker is magazine editor Steve Sutherland.

Karen lecturing at Elvebakken High School, Oslo

Journalism and Communication’s Associate Dean, Karen Fowler-Watt has just returned from a trip to Oslo on behalf of Bournemouth University to recruit Norwegian students to study at Bournemouth.

Whilst there Karen met up with former BA Multi-media Journalism student, Sverre Holm-Nilsson, who is now an investigative reporter working on a programme for TV2 in Oslo.

“Sverre is a brilliant ambassador for the course in his home country and a number of his friends and colleagues have followed his example of studying journalism at The Media School.  He is enjoying his job and using all the skills he learned on the course, which he graduated from in 2009″ Said Karen.

Karen attended a recruitment fair in Lillestrom, where temperatures dipped to minus 10 and also delivered a lecture on ‘Creativity and Radio Journalism’ to sixth form students at Elvebakken High School in Oslo, which specialises in media and arts subjects.

“I was aware that the students had not yet had a chance to make any radio pieces” says Karen “so I was keen to emphasise the importance of good writing, using examples from Alastair Cooke’s ‘Letter From America’ to a recent ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ report by Stephen Sackur on how one restaurant in Denmark is serving up pine trees as a delicacy!”

The students also participated in an interactive workshop on developing ideas for radio features and seemed to enjoy the session.  After the lecture, some of the staff at Elvebakken said that they are keen to come to The Media School to experience our teaching methods and the University plans to host a visit in March.

Top journalists at Careers Forum

Top journalists, recruiters and alumni visited Bournemouth this week for a BA Multi-media journalism careers forum.

IPC media, Thomson Reuters and ITV News were all represented, providing information on internships and trainee schemes, as well as advice on how to get onto them.

Belinda Goldsmith, Global Head of Editoral Learning at the company told students about the opportunities available at Thomson Reuters. She was joined by Drazen Jorgic, a BA Multi-media Journalism graduate who is now on the Financial Journalism Graduate Trainee Scheme. “Just because you graduate don’t stop taking work experience, don’t stop applying to trainee schemes” advised Drazen. “You have to keep working and keep going until you make it. I didn’t get accepted to the trainee scheme on my first application, so I worked, got more skills, went back a few years later and now I’m a Thomson Reuters trainee”.

Nick Myers, Training Consultant for ITV News also spoke to students alongside Carole Capon and Keith Walker from IPC Media.

Alumni who returned to Bournemouth to offer advice to the near-graduate students included Lissa Hawkins who graduated in 2011 and is now completing an internship at IPC, as well as David Ornstein, now a broadcast journalist at BBC sport and Mark Russell, now Chief Sub-editor of GQ magazine.

Freddie Harrison, now working for Imagine Publishing, Marie Greenwood, News Editor Wessex FM and Laura Bradder, acting Senior News Writer at Yours magazine were also able to share their experiences.

Laura Bradder advised students not to give up, but to work hard and to persevere until you get the job you really want. “Just be yourself and go for the jobs that you’re passionate about. If your heart’s not in a job then don’t go to the interview – take the chance, take some unpaid work and hold out for what you really want to do,” she said.mul

Following short talks from each of the industry guests students quizzed the experts for advice followed by refreshments and an opportunity to network.

The ‘Careers Forum’ event is part of the Professional Perspectives unit for final year BA Multi-media Journalism students. Throughout the term guest speakers from the industry will be visiting Bournemouth to speak with students about the top issues in journalism today. Next weeks speaker will be Adam Lee-Potter, freelance feature writer, columnist and practitioner in residence at Bournemouth University who will be discussing ‘Truth and the tabloids’.