Graduate journalism programme - multimedia journalism

A 12-day in-company training course

To give new recruits and inexperienced journalists the skills they need to become fully functioning, 21st century journalists and valued contributors to their teams.

"ETC have helped us at every stage with the construction and implementation of our industry acclaimed trainee journalist scheme. They have been there for us every step of the way. They sit in on the initial interviews, design the six-month training programme, run all the training days, supervise revision and oversee the PPA Certificate assessment days. Nothing has been too much trouble for them and no detail left to chance."

The programme covers:

An overview of publishing and the importance of brands
Understanding what it is to be a multimedia journalist: from one set of skills to many sets; from one point of contact with the reader to many
News
Features
Interviewing
Subbing
Multimedia law

This includes a project designed to give delegates an understanding of how all the multimedia elements combine to create a successful brand.

Assessment: Delegates are given workshop folders. Work is assessed and marked on a regular basis so that we can work with delegates to improve any weaknesses. At the end of the programme delegates are awarded pass, merit or distinction depending on their performance.

Content covered will include:

Week 1

Introductions, objectives and news

What are multimedia brands today?
What are magazines?
How do they operate as brands for consumers?
What do consumers expect and respect?
What do journalists have to do in print and digital?

What is news: threat, opportunity and entertainment

The key questions of news: Who? What? Why? Where? When? So what? What’s next?
How to identify, angle and target news for a particular brand
The classic pyramid structure
Different media, different rules: what you need to remember
Writing to be found by search engines
News in different media: from 24x7 online news feeds to the monthly magazine
Gathering news – using feeds, pipes and your community
Using numbers to create news stories
Distributing news – your site, blogs, twitter and other possibilities
Constant news – handling the ongoing news story online and in print

Doing it: An analysis of news in different media
Discussion and Q&A

Getting the intro right: grabbing the consumer’s attention

The structure of the intro

Doing it: Writing intros for news stories in digital and print media
Discussion and Q&A

Doing it: Writing a classic pyramid news story
Analysis and critique
Rewriting and critique

Doing it: Write a running news story

Doing it: Introduction of project on what makes a successful brand.

Features and interviewing

Report on the day’s news and features in varied media
Understanding who your consumer is and what they want
How can you use social media to find out; to get leads?
What makes a feature great?
What works well in different media? Print; web; apps?
Spinning an idea to make it fresh
How to come up with ideas
What to do at a features meeting
Types of features
Gathering material for a variety of outlets – working smart
Thinking images
When will video work better than text?
Choosing the right structure – for the material and for the media
Finding your angle

Gathering the information Tailored to your needs

How to get the most out of your time with someone
Preparation
Getting the background
Spotting likely problems
Coming up with a line of questioning
Fundamental differences between online and offline interviewing
Avoiding classic pitfalls
The closed question
Handling problem interviewees
Taking the interview where you want it to go
Turning an interview into a profile
Structure
Making the best use of your quotes

Writing it up

Different media, different rules: what you need to remember
Thinking about how your reader will find you
Coming up with intros that pull the consumer in
Using your content to keep them with you
Where links and quotes fit in
Ending well
Writing an information feature

Doing it: Planning a feature - coming up with a head, standfirst, intro for print and digital

Doing it: Doing a phone interview for a news story (which will be recorded for playback and analysis)

Doing it: Doing a face to face interview (which will be videoed and recorded for playback and analysis)

Doing it: Experimenting with different types of intro

Doing it: Building on the plan to complete the feature

Doing it: Writing a profile

Reviews and other special cases

Report on the day’s news and features in varied media
Writing particular types of features like reviews, tests, step-by steps, surveys (depending on the needs of their brands)
Keeping it short
The pros and cons of negative reviews
Making assumptions on the consumer’s behalf
The conflict between providing information and entertainment
How far to personalise a review
Making step-by-steps interesting as well as informative
Turning a blog into a conversation with your reader

Doing it: Writing a review

Doing it: Writing a feature for your brand (delegates will practice a type of feature carried in their own publications)

Libel, copyright and the PCC code for print and online

Report on the day’s news in varied media
How libel affects news and features
Implications of digital coverage
The main points of English and Welsh Libel and the defences
Key dos and don’ts in libel
Intellectual property law for the media
The right to copy things
Confidentiality and privacy

Spinning news and using numbers

Report on the day’s news in varied media
Planning and writing news for a target brand
Thinking all possible media
What to do when you’re not first with a story
How to spin
Getting the stories from figures
Assigning the tasks
Using the skills learned
Writing the news

Subbing and headline writing

Report on the day’s news and features in varied media
Subbing text for varied media
Handling the pressure
Making sure text conforms to style, standards of accuracy, readability and clarity
Cutting, writing off
Making copy tighter, and giving it more impact
The importance of house style/improving style sheets
Writing styles for journalists (grammar and punctuation)
Keeping the right lead/intro for the media
Giving headlines more impact
Matching the tone and style to the story
Selling the story
Bringing pace and variety to standfirsts
Sharpening other page devices (captions, pull quotes, crossheads)
Making them fit

Doing it: Delegates will sub the text of a variety of articles for different media

Doing it: Delegates will practise writing headlines and standfirsts for different media

Putting it all together

Report on the day’s news online and in print
A brand in two days: Delegates will create a brand for a target audience: To do this they will come up with a name and mission statement, then plan and create content
Delegates present their brand to a team of senior managers

Wrap up of programme

Follow-up workshops
To include a group session designed to focus on areas of weakness and a one-to-one session designed to look at problem areas, including: