Journalism Diversity Fund alumnus celebrates NQJ success

A former Journalism Diversity Fund recipient has achieved senior reporter status after passing the National Qualification for Journalists (NQJ).
Joey Severn, a reporter at the Derby Telegraph, successfully completed the industry’s professional qualification for trainee journalists.

Commenting on his success, Joey said: “The feeling was incredible. Relief combined with a real sense of achievement about what I had done.

“As soon as I had finished my final exam I wanted to know how I had done but put it right to the back of my mind as I would have gone mad if I had thought about it.

“In the past couple of weeks I had begun to think a bit more and in the past couple of days it started to get really hard to think about other things, especially before bed!”

Joey, 25, completed the NCTJ-accredited fast-track multimedia journalism course at Press Association, London, after winning a Journalism Diversity Fund bursary in the 2010-11 year.

He said: “I would also like to thank the Journalism Diversity Fund. Without them I would never have been in the position to take my NQJ as I would not have been able to take my first exams that allowed me to get my job in the first place.

“Journalism is a difficult field to get into and its future lies in as many people, from as many different backgrounds as possible, adding their ideas and experiences to it.

“The Journalism Diversity Fund makes this a reality by removing the financial barriers that are so often an insurmountable hurdle for people to overcome.”

The NQJ for reporters is divided into four sections: an e-logbook; a news interview; a news report paper; and a media law and practice paper.

Trainees must complete at least 18 months employment before they are eligible to sit the exam.

Employers who support the programme register trainees with the NCTJ and an e-logbook, providing evidence of training and experience, is completed before taking the exams.

Joey offered thanks to his colleagues from the Derby Telegraph for their “fantastic” support, in particular his editor, Neil White, and Jane McFarlane, who helped with media law. He can be found on Twitter @joeysevern