Reporters Without Borders partnership delivers new course for exiled journalists based in UK

The NCTJ has partnered with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to create a new training course for exiled journalists looking to continue their careers in the UK.

The free e-learning course is available to experienced international journalists who move to the UK for safety reasons.

Covering everything from public affairs to public perception of the trade, the course delivers all the essential information exiled journalists need to understand British journalism, putting them in a much stronger position to secure work.

Many of the journalists RSF work with are highly experienced, but language barriers and different legal, ethical and working practices can pose a challenge when they settle in the UK.

Fiona O’Brien, UK director of RSF, said: “Journalists forced into exile by repressive regimes have a vital role to play in continuing to report on their countries of origin, which might otherwise become information black holes. But to do so, they face a raft of challenges, including the struggle to navigate an industry which may look very different to journalism back home.

“We hope that this course will help journalists resettling in the UK to find their feet, so that they can find personal and professional fulfilment, and keep up their crucial reporting for audiences at home.”

Laura Adams, head of the Journalism Skills Academy at the NCTJ, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with RSF to create this course, which we hope will support exiled journalists in their search for work in the UK.

“The training focuses on specific areas that are unique to the UK media industry, such as media law and public affairs.

“We also wanted to provide a flavour of newsroom culture in this country and useful guidance on how to find work in the UK.

“We hope this will be a highly impactful training course which will support journalists from across the globe.”

The course covers areas including media law, public affairs, writing styles and audiences; and is aimed at experienced journalists.

There is also useful guidance on finding work in the UK and provides information on where to seek support from other journalists.

This free resource is aimed at international journalists with five years or more experience and is hosted on the Journalism Skills Academy’s e-learning platform.

If you are an international journalist who would benefit from this course, please contact Fiona at fobrien@rsf.org.