News & blog

"A good local paper is part of the area's community. It's where people turn to when they've suffered an injustice - and it's often the place where national stories break."

"Without that 'trusted' voice there is no-one distinguishing between facts and fiction - nor, crucially, holding those in power to account. I can't think of anything more important to society than sustaining that."

"One of the best things about working for a local paper is that there are so many opportunities to get involved with the community and to report how national issues are affecting your patch on a more detailed level."

"I enjoy the variety of the job - you really don’t know what you’ll be dealing with each day and I also enjoy making a difference, whether it be through our journalism or in promoting or supporting worthy causes."

"Local journalism is a great platform for communities, highlighting issues and celebrating achievements. We can make a difference to our communities, changing things for the better."

As Local Newspaper Week begins today, the NCTJ is proud to support the campaign, run by Local Media Works.

Ten hopeful journalists have been shortlisted in the first round of the 2018 Journalism Diversity Fund, which could cover the cost of their NCTJ-accredited journalism training.

The NCTJ is changing its approach to accreditation to reflect changes in journalism and journalism qualifications, education and training.

Fifty-five per cent of trainees who sat the National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) exams in March achieved the qualification. This is the lowest pass rate since the 49 per cent pass rate in July 2013.