Design & Media

Journalism

Journalists work on a range of media, including newspapers, magazines and radio, finding, researching and writing stories. There are currently around 70,000 journalists in the UK around 20% of which are freelance.

If you fancy journalism as a career you can expect to start as a Junior Reporter and be given stories to research and report covering all sorts of news from politics and court reports to sports and entertainments. Once you've got into the business and proved your worth you may get to specialise in an area of journalism that suits you most.

Journalism is a varied job with no two days the same and will often require early starts as the morning issues of many newspapers go to print around the time most of the country wakes up.

Budding journalists are advised to apply directly to regional and local papers as vacancies are rarely advertised. The Willing's Guide or Benn's UK Media Directory gives a list of UK publications and should be available in your university library. Reading the Media Guardian on a Monday is a great way to keep up with industry news and you may also find jobs and relevant courses advertised here.

Although most degrees are acceptable for entry postgraduate study is becoming more important and courses are offered by various local universities, including Trinity and All Saints College Leeds, The Sheffield College and the University of Sheffield.

Relevant work experience will make your application stand out when applying to possible employers and contributing to a student newspaper is a great place to start. Employers will also expect to see a portfolio of work so it's a good idea to build this up throughout your studies.

Useful links:

The Press Association

The Press Associations Northern headquarters are based at Howden in East Yorkshire. They have job vacancies based there and in Wetherby and Leeds.

National Union of Journalists

Union for Journalists in Britain and Ireland.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists

Comprehensive information on Journalism including information on courses.

National Association of Press Agencies

An association of freelance photographers and journalists.

Johnston Press plc

Publishes local newspapers including the Yorkshire Post.

Newsquest

The UK's second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers, including the Bradford Telegraph and Argus and York Evening Post.

Trinity Mirror Plc

UK's largest publisher with around 250 titles. Regional websites, magazines and exhibitions, national, regional and sports newspapers. Titles include the Huddersfield Examiner.