Writing for different media…

In this brave new world of multi-skilling and media convergence, the traditional demarcation lines between different fields of our profession have vanished.

Journalists are increasingly being asked to write copy for three different types of media – a newspaper or magazine, a website and a script for an online video or audio reports.

While the basic newsgathering and writing skills are the same, you need to tell your story in a slightly different way for each type of media.

This is how students on NCTJ pre-entry courses are now being taught to prepare them for their first jobs as journalists. The changes in the basic training have been led by demand from editors, who want trainees with a wide range of skills, some of which were, only recently, found only in specialists.

The Chartered Institute of Journalists is offering members a chance to get up-to-date with these changes at a one-day course run by NCTJ journalism lecturer Charlie Harris

The course will cover:

A refresher on essential newswriting skills

How those skills need to be adapted for

1) Covering breaking stories online

2) Pulling together news from numerous sources for the online round-up and the print edition

3) Paring the story to the basics for video or audio coverage

This will be done through a live exercise based on a major breaking story covered by the local newspaper which the course tutor used to edit.

COST: £60

Dates: 4th and 11th November 2009 – please indicate your preference when booking.

Venue: CIoJ Head Office, 2 Dock Offices, Surrey Quays Road, LONDON SE16 2XU

DOWNLOAD A BOOKING FORM HERE>>>

Your trainer…

Charlie Harris

The course will be led by Charlie Harris, a member of the Institute for more than 35 years. A past president of the Institute and former chairman of the NCTJ, Charlie worked for local newspapers across north London, SW Hertfordshire and South Bucks for 33 years, becoming editor of the Harrow Times Series, covering three London boroughs. Involved in editorial training since the mid-80s, he represented the Institute on the NCTJ for many years, and now teaches newswriting and public affairs on NCTJ-accredited courses at Brunel University in Uxbridge and at noSWeat Journalism Training in Clerkenwell. He is also an NCTJ-accredited examination and logbook marker, and helps run exam centres and serves on course accreditation panels for the council.