Email me: m and ep_AT_ang elfire _DOT_ com (remove spaces etc to make it work).
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifications do I need?
Time for a web search. Fire up your favourite search engine, and enter (include the quotes) "National Council for the Training of Journalists".
Their web pages will tell you all you need to know about learning to write for newspapers, radio or television. Various courses
are available in the United Kingdom.
Why didn't I just include the link? Because I want you to get used to finding things out for yourself.
While you're browsing, take a look at these comments on ethics
which should be required reading for all beginners, and not a few more experienced journalists.
Where should I apply?
Get a copy of Willing's Press Guide, or the Writers and Artists Year Book, and write to all the local editors.
Traditionally reporters begin on weeklies, covering everything from church fetes to the local magistrates court. Unless you have a relative in the trade, this is your most likely route.
Hard news sounds like hard work. I want to write
opinion pieces/sports/music ...
And so do many of those already in the newsroom. Ask yourself: why should anyone be interested in your opinions? Plum jobs - play reviewing, concerts and the like - are given to reporters who have already learned the basic skills and proved themselves reliable.
Are vacancies advertised?
Some are, some not. The weekly publication Press Gazette, and the Media section in the Guardian or the Independent, are where to find the advertised posts.
These are rarely for beginners.
Do I need shorthand?
Oh yes. Forget tape recorders; they pick up all the background noise, break down, run out of tape/batteries just when you need them most.
Most reporters learn Teeline - teach yourself in a weekend,
spend a year getting up to speed. Or try Pitman's - faster
eventually but takes longer to learn - if you seriously want to be
a Parliamentary reporter.
