I'm training to be a broadcast journalist at Nottingham Trent University. Going really well so far, so if that's the sort of career you want you persue then go for it.
If you want to be a journo, then I suggest you learn how to spell first - or check your work for typos before submitting it - it's 'pursue' not 'persue'. Honestly, how can you possibly expect to become a professional writer if you make this sort of schoolboy error?
I know that, as a broadcast journalist, your prose is more likely to be spoken than seen as text, but a lot of broadcast journalists these days start their careers as text producers on news channels, spending hours at a time typing out story captions and tickers - and I can assure you that when you are performing this role, elementary spelling mistakes that end-up being broadcast live on-air don't go down at all well with the bosses!
Thank you for your advice - I shall of course heed it to the letter.
The BJTC/NTCJ thing is a bit complicated - the NTCJ (Newspaper journalist training scheme) has lost a lot of its credibility recently and many of the top courses
have/are thinking
of going without it.
At Cardiff, for instance, newspaper students do NTCJ exams and then harder Cardiff exams on top. Broadcasters don't.
But the BJTC (Broadcast journalist training scheme) hasn't had the same credibility problems, and the top courses mostly stick to it.
Generally the two schemes emphasize training 'journalists' but some courses also give students a push-start to later become 'editors'.
As Broadcast courses go, the top ones are perceived (by students and potential employers) to be Cardiff, City, Preston and Westminster. But generally it's seen more favourably if you do a general undergrad degree and then do a postgrad journalism degree.
And if you want to get onto any of those four, you'll need to have done plenty of work experience at student radio and elsewhere.
Sounds like a TV show. Surprised actually there hasn't been an Apprentice style "Newsreader Idol" format somewhere - though I vaguely recall a feature on something years ago in which someone became a newsreader.
It was on ITV1 Wales wasnt it or was that to become a tv presenter rather than newsreader?
Faking it
- the episode where the girl produced the Channel 4 News and Jon Snow thaught she was a pro.
I am hoping to become a broadcast journalist, although I am well aware that it is highly difficult to succeed in such a career, so I have left my options open.
As has been said before, most advice seems to suggest that the best thing to do is to study for a traditional degree first, and then study for a postgraduate degree in broadcast journalism... So, I am going to Cambridge in October to study Spanish and French, with the intention of completing a postgrad afterwards... In the meantime, getting relevant experience is imperative: I am involved with a community radio station, and I hope to get involved with student media when I get to university.
So we shall see! Good luck to everyone who wishes to follow a journalism career!
Oh i'd love to be a journalist. Preferably a music journalist. The thought of free gigs then going home and writing up a review in your dressing gown and fluffy slippers is rather appealing during these long cold winter months. Problem is i don't fancy going through university to study it, my life is busy and chaotic enough as it is. I'll just continue to do what i do best. Besides you can't beat being your own boss.
i'm starting university on Monday at Charles Sturt University at Bathurst (about 3 hours west of Sydney). I'm doing the Batchelor of Arts (Communications-Journalism (broadcast)) course
i'm starting university on Monday at Charles Sturt University at Bathurst (about 3 hours west of Sydney). I'm doing the Batchelor of Arts (Communications-Journalism (broadcast)) course
Well, good luck to you. Does BBC have a burough in Australlia?
I've got some advice for anyone wanting to enter the media or journalism industries - stay away from Salford University!
They claim to be the best for media courses around the UK through their "strong links with ITV Granada, BBC and Channel M". Rubbish.
Channel M is pathetic, even people who have lived in Manchester all their lives have nevert even heard of it - and those who have laugh at the quality of the programming. ITV Granada and the BBC don't recognise the university exists.
It does have some benefits though, it managed to get me an interview for BBC News next month and it looks OK on a CV.
Talking to a senior journalist from Sky News (a past lecturer of mine) she seems to think experience counts a lot more than what degree people have. The value of a degree has reduced dramatically recently apparently.
It's true. There are many people I know who work in journalism / media and don't have a degree in media studies / journalism whatsoever, it's all experience.
The problem these days is getting experience. Many would be keen to get someone on to "learn on the job" but competition for that is very fierce where they will learn from day one rather than someone who just rolled in off a media course as someone who may have been taught how to do things different ways.
I had the chance to go to Media Studies but I pulled out and did something completely different (which has no relevance on what i'm doing at the moment so it was even a waste of £10k!), and becuase of that choice, I met different people and that led on to getting freelance work and then a full time position and I avoided becoming a typical media studies student who think they know it all - and I have met a fair few of those!
It'll take time and hard work, but it's true, if you work at it you'll get where you want to be sooner rather than later.