If that's really the case then I'll answer sensibly

Yes, first you normally have to have a degree to get on an Archant training course, where you will take (unless it's changed) a National Council for the Training of Journalists qualification or an NVQ (and yes I know they're crap).

Courses cover obvious things like how to write a news story, shorthand (100 wpm), the workings of government and local government and law (libel, contempt of court etc). If you don't pass them all - and any graduate should - then you don't get a job.

If you're talking about older journalists, then many of them will not have degrees or even A Levels because in the good old days you could work your way up from teaboy, as my dad pretty much did.

Paradoxically, although the entry requirements have increased significantly the quality of grammar and spelling from younger journalists is deteriorating even from when I started. Whether that's a cultural thing or just crap teaching and schooling is debatable.

They certainly don't get the on the job training that they used to simply because there are far less of them - it's much more sink or swim these days with young reporters being promoted far too fast into newsdesk positions which they are simply not ready for.

There, a sensible answer to a sensible question.

Posted By: duke of york on August 14th 2006 at 13:18:40

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