Trainees sit National Qualification in Journalism exam for the first time

More than 100 trainee reporters sat the new National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) today.

One hundred and ten reporters completed the exam which has replaced the previous National Certificate Examination (NCE) as the senior qualification for reporters, following an extensive review last year.

The reporting NQJ is divided into four sections: the existing logbook and news interview; an updated news report paper; and a new media law and practice paper, which replaces the previous newspaper practice.

The exam is designed to examine all-round competence in a range of fundamental skills. The updated assessment puts more emphasis on ethics in journalism and has an increased focus on social media to more closely reflect the newsroom environment.

The topics featured in today’s papers included a break-in at a car dealership, proposals to relieve traffic congestion and the legal and ethical issues of reporting on a domestic violence case.

In order to gain senior status, all trainee reporters must be able to extract information using excellent interview techniques, reproduce clear and concise reports in a style that attracts readers and demonstrate they are conversant with day-to-day newspaper practice inside and outside the office.

The NQJ results will be made available next month.