Journalism: All You Need to Know

Newspaper journalists, also known as reporters, investigate and write up stories for local, regional and national newspapers. They cover any event of interest to their specific audience, ranging from reporting on council meetings and school fetes for a local paper, to general elections and world events for the national press.

As a newspaper journalist, your work would typically include:

• • investigating a story as soon as it breaks
• • following up potential leads
• • developing new contacts
• • interviewing people, both face-to-face and over the phone
• • attending press conferences
• • recording meetings and interviews using recording equipment or shorthand
• • coming up with ideas for new stories and features
• • writing up articles in a style that will appeal to the intended audience.

You could choose to specialise in a specific area such as sport, politics or entertainment. Because most newspapers have an online edition, you may also write stories for the web. Newspaper journalists sometimes work as sub-editors, preparing reporters’ writing ('copy') for printing.

What qualifications and experience will employers look for?

You can become a newspaper journalist by first doing a course at college or university (known as pre-entry) or by joining a local or regional newspaper and learning on the job (known as direct entry). For both types of entry you will be at an advantage if you have relevant experience.

To build up your experience you can:

• • volunteer for student and community newspapers
• • submit articles to websites or keep an online journal or 'blog'
• • work for local or student radio stations
• • submit articles and reviews to local, free or specialist papers.

It is a good idea to keep cuttings and print outs of your published work to show to potential employers, especially if these include your name (known as a ‘byline’).

Training before starting work

This is the most common way to enter journalism. It involves completing a journalism course, then finding work as a trainee. It is advisable to choose a course that is accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). Some courses accept five GCSEs (including English) and two A levels, or similar qualifications, while others will expect you to have a degree. If you have a degree, you may be able to do an 18-20 week Fast Track course. See the NCTJ website for details of courses and training providers.

As part of any journalism course, you will take the NCTJ preliminary exams, which you need to pass before being taken on as a trainee. You may be able do the NCTJ self-study programme, and enter yourself for the preliminary exams. To follow this route you would need to arrange work experience so that you can practise your skills. See the NCTJ website for details.

On-the-job training

To become a journalist by direct entry you need to apply to the editors of local and regional newspapers to be taken on as a trainee. You can find contact details on the Newspaper Society website.

You will need a minimum of five GCSEs (A-C), including English, or equivalent qualifications. However, it is increasingly rare for applicants to be accepted at this level. More than 60% of recruits have degrees, and most others have at least two A levels or the equivalent.

You can find advice and information on starting or developing your career in journalism on the NCTJ and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) websites.

What further training and development can I do?

After completing a pre-entry journalism course you would apply for a job as a trainee reporter. You would normally be employed on an 18-month training contract. Your first three months would usually be probationary, after which you would start working towards the NCTJ National Certificate.

On the direct entry route you would usually have a two-year training contract. The first six months would be probationary. You would do a distance learning foundation course followed by the NCTJ preliminary exam. After this you can become fully qualified by completing the NCTJ National Certificate.

As a qualified journalist, you can develop your skills by attending short courses. These are offered by professional bodies including the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), NCTJ, the Periodicals Training Council (PTC) and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC).
 
Magazine Journalists

What is the work like?

Magazine journalists write news articles and features for publications ranging from 'glossy' consumer magazines through to specialist trade journals.

As a magazine journalist, your work would vary depending on the type of magazine, but would normally include:

• • attending meetings to plan the content of the magazine
• • suggesting ideas for articles that will be of interest to the magazine’s readers
• • interviewing and researching to collect material for articles
• • writing articles in the magazine’s house style
• • keeping up to date with developments and trends in the subject area of the magazine.
• • Many magazines have related websites, so you might also produce versions of your articles for the web.

You would usually have specialist knowledge in the subject area covered by your publication.

Types of magazine include:

• • consumer magazines – aimed at the general public
• • specialist consumer magazines – aimed at people with interests in a particular subject, such as travel, arts • and crafts or cars
• • professional magazines – for those working in a particular career such as human resources, or management
• • business magazines and trade journals
• • in-house company magazines.

  Freelance Journalist

As a freelance journalist, you could write for both magazines and newspapers.

More advice is available on www.careersadvice.direct.gov.uk

If you would like to make a start on building up your portfolio, why not write for us at Get Smaart? We are always happy to publish suitable articles and give feedback on articles submitted to us. We look for around 350 words for a single page to 750 for a Double Page Spread. Remember our audience is 15-19 year old students so it should be articles that will interest/involve them.

Submit by email to our editor Ann-Marie Stacey at am.stacey@smaartpublishing.co.uk