NATIONAL QUALIFICATION IN JOURNALISM REPORTERS

Transcription

1 NATIONAL QUALIFICATION IN JOURNALISM REPORTERS Examiners Report March 2014

2 NATIONAL QUALIFICATION IN JOURNALISM FOR REPORTERS March 2014 In March, a total of 90 candidates sat the National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) across nine centres. The NQJ was awarded to 60 candidates a pass rate of 67 per cent. AWARD WINNERS TED BOTTOMLEY AWARD (MEDIA LAW AND PRACTICE 250) Sponsored by Midland News Association Emma Robinson Maldon and Burnham Standard Selecting an award winner in this category was a close-run decision. All the papers considered had a high level of detail which was clearly and logically presented but after careful consideration the eventual winner was Emma Robinson. She scored highly in all three questions, showing confidence in her knowledge. ESSO AWARD (NEWS REPORT 250) Shams Al-Shakarchi Courier Media Group Shams produced an excellent summary of the key detail, with full accurate quotes in a lively, well presented story. Part B demonstrated good practical news sense. A well-deserved winner of this award. SOCIETY OF EDITORS AWARD (NEWS INTERVIEW 250) Emma Robinson Maldon and Burnham Standard Emma produced a crisp, accurate story that captured the drama of the robbery. She had a high level of detail that resulted in a very readable story with excellent phrasing. Her good interview style was noted by assessors. NEWSQUEST AWARD (LOGBOOK 250) Joshua Powling West Sussex County Times Joshua s logbook was an excellent submission from the March sitting. Indeed it has gained one of the highest ever marks for a logbook and it is fully justified. The submission includes a number of extremely well written and carefully thought out pieces. A number of key tasks earned full marks and such is the quality of this logbook that future candidates would be well advised to take a look at examples of the work for future guidance. 2

3 The following candidates, listed in alphabetical order by surname, have now gained the National Qualification in Journalism for Reporters. Forename Surname Company William Ackermann Express & Star Christopher Adams Lancashire Telegraph Shams Al-Shakarchi Courier Media Group Richard Ashton Bracknell News Hywel Barrett Hunts Post Donna-Louise Bishop Eastern Daily Press Hannah Louise Bryan Newsquest (North East) Sara Bryce Isle of Wight County Press Elizabeth Buchan Cambridge News & Mail Adam Care Wiltshire Times Rebecca May Carr Kidderminster Shuttle James Chapple Camberley News Daniel Chipperfield Gloucestershire Gazette Rebecca Cohen Burnley Express Thomas Cotterill Littlehampton Gazette Emily Davies Oswestry Advertiser Michael Davies The Argus Nazia Dewji Surrey Comet Charlotte Dobson The Bolton News Amy Dyduch Richmond & Twickenham Times Martin Elvery Banbury Guardian Bethan Evans Weston Worle & Somerset Mercury Joseph Faretra Andover Advertiser Samuel Greenway Bromsgrove Messenger/Advertiser Philip Hayes Courier Media Group 3

4 John Alexander Hayward Freelance Hannah Hulme The Sentinel Matthew Hunter East Anglian Daily Times Amy Jones Western Telegraph Lee Kettle Tamworth Herald Emma Lake Bury Free Press Timothy Oliver Lamden Ham & High Andre Langlois Surrey Advertiser Tim MacFarlan News Shopper Frederick Mayhew Barking & Dagenham Post Ruth McKee Enfield Gazette & Advertiser Hayley Mills South Wales Argus James Morris Congleton Chronicle Jennifer Morris Surrey Advertiser Hayley Mortimer Stroud News & Journal Miles O'Leary The News, Portsmouth Charlotte Pearson Chichester Observer Rebecca Perring Watford Observer Joshua Powling West Sussex County Times Laura Proto Elmbridge Guardian Ella Rhodes Derby Evening Telegraph Emma Robinson Maldon & Burnham Standard Wesley Rock Hampshire Chronicle Lucy Ross-Millar Cambridge News Daniel Russell Nottignham Evening Post Joey Severn Derby Evening Telegraph Bruce Thain Harrow Times Flora Thompson Western Gazette 4

5 Antony Thrower Courier Media Group Kelly Tyler Derby Evening Telegraph Andrew Wakefield Belper News Daniel Whiteway Slough Observer Laura Wild Lancashire Evening Post Michael Yong Gloucestershire Echo Anna Young Kent Messenger Group 5

6 CHIEF EXAMINER S SUMY Two-thirds of candidates who sat the National Qualification in Journalism exams in March were successful the highest pass rate since the exam replaced the NCE a year ago. Particularly pleasing was the 86 per cent pass rate for the Media Law and Practice exam, which focuses on legal and ethical issues. Not only did many candidates demonstrate that they had kept up-to-date with changes in defamation law, but there were also a number of answers to the ethics question that scored full marks. Pass rates for the News Interview (76 per cent) and News Report (69 per cent) were also at a new high, while the Logbook section produced a 98 per cent pass rate, broadly in line with previous results. From these results I can only conclude this was an exceptionally talented crop of candidates from rapidly changing and more demanding newsrooms who were well prepared for the exam. The blot on a landscape of excellent results was an unfortunate incident at Harlow College where there was a serious computer-related issue. The Media Law and Practice scripts of ten candidates were lost moments before the end of the exam, which was understandably distressing for all involved. A single internal exam account was provided by the centre with the spell check disabled. Documents could be shared on this account and so candidates were instructed by the invigilator to save to desktop. However, when computers were restarted to enable the spell check, work saved to desktop was automatically deleted by the system. Some scripts were eventually retrieved but not in a format that could be marked by examiners. The ten candidates sat a new exam paper a week later. Seven of these candidates passed this paper and went on to pass the NQJ. No resit fees will be charged for the three candidates sitting July 2014 NQJ exams. The NCTJ has conducted a full investigation of the incident and is considering a number of options. Action will be taken to reduce the risk of this happening again. Among the 60 successful candidates, four have been chosen to receive a 250 prize for the best submission in each section. They were: Emma Robinson (Maldon and Burnham Standard) for Media Law & Practice; Shams Al-Shakarchi (Courier Media Group) for News Report; Emma Robinson (Maldon and Burnham Standard) for News Interview; and Joshua Powling (West Sussex County Times) for Logbook. Congratulations to them and to all the candidates who achieved seniority. MEDIA LAW AND PRACTICE 83 candidates; 71 passed 86 per cent After last November s encouraging results, this set of papers was even better. In fact, they were excellent. The way some candidates tackled the ethics question was particularly pleasing with a number of full marks being awarded for this question. Those who did score highly were rewarded for the way they picked out the two elements of the Editors Code of Practice - Clause 6 (Privacy) and Clause 6 (Children) - where the story failed to meet them, and offered a sensible way to overcome the problems to be able to publish a human interest story that did have a public interest. The fact that 6

7 the majority of candidates passed this question reflects on the emphasis that is being put on ethics both by the NCTJ and newspapers. Good law knowledge and how it applied to the scenarios in Questions 1 and 2 once again brought the highest marks. A good writing style also helped and again it is recommended that candidates use a bullet point approach when answering these questions. As usual, these questions tested areas that all candidates should come across in their normal working lives; defamation, contempt and reporting restrictions in court, plus elements of the Editors Code of Practice. The sections on the principle of open justice and whether a defendant automatically gets anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 when claims are made in an unconnected court case caught out some candidates. Reference to McNae s Essential Law for Journalists would have sorted out the problems. Candidates who had kept up-to-date with changes in the law, particularly the introduction of the Defamation Act, were rewarded with extra marks. Examiners recommend that future candidates return to McNae s Essential Law for Journalists to brush-up on defamation and contempt dangers and defences. Regular visits to the PCC adjudications and the Editors Code Book, along with the Judicial Studies Board s Reporting Restrictions in the Criminal Courts, would also be helpful. Many congratulations to those of you who passed the exam. For those who did not, do plenty of revision, and good luck with your next attempt! NEWS REPORT 83 candidates; 57 passed 69 per cent A police raid on a car boot sale, accompanied by Trading Standards and HMRC officers, provided the subject for the News Report section. Three hundred bottles of fake whisky were seized, two men ran off when approached for questioning and the public were warned of the potentially fatal contents of the counterfeit whisky. The key to identifying the fake whisky was in the labelling on the bottles WHISKEY, spelt with an E. This posed a problem for some candidates who wrote stories using the misspelt whiskey throughout, making no distinction between the two versions. There were careless errors such as misspelling the name of the speaker or getting the rank wrong, information which was all provided in the candidates brief. Generally candidates picked up on the key aspects of the story and presented them in a logical newsworthy way. There were some inaccurate quotes which led examiners to question the quality of some candidates shorthand. Candidates must not make up what they think the speaker said and should present the words as direct quotes. When in doubt use reported speech. When using phone numbers in a story, it should be explained whose number it is. One valuable piece of advice to candidates is to ensure that they allow time to read their stories through before the end of the exam. This should allow them to pick up on sentences which do not make sense and to check the facts. 7

8 In Part B candidates should have immediately sought to get the e-fit pictures and descriptions of the two men who ran away. This could have been either in section 1 (illustrative ideas) or 3 (additional information in 15 minutes). Some candidates did not do this. Markers are looking for the practicality of ideas given for Part B are they achievable in the timespan? Illustrative ideas should be achievable by the time of publication, and the people chosen to talk to in 15 minutes should be realistic. Congratulations to all those who passed the News Report. NEWS INTERVIEW 75 candidates; 57 passed 76 per cent This was a story about a dramatic daylight robbery at a high-end jewellery store shortly before opening time. A businessman, who may have been a decoy planning to pose as a customer at the store, got into an argument with the store s security guard when he was parking on double yellow lines outside the premises. During a confrontation the businessman stabbed the guard with a flick knife, severing a femoral artery and leaving him bleeding on the pavement. Other gang members arrived in a Transit van and tried to smash the store window, resorting to blasting it with a shotgun. The men grabbed 140,000 worth of watches and rings before fleeing. The quick response of the manager saved the security guard s life when she gave him first aid. The gang used a succession of stolen vehicles, ending with a Ford Focus which they collected from a local car park. It was pleasing to see some good submissions from candidates who grasped what the story was about and injected the drama into their copy. However, some candidates did get into a muddle with the chronology. Most candidates went for the security guard s injuries and the robbery although some did take the more pedestrian intro approach of Police are hunting. Others failed to differentiate between the businessman and the rest of the gang, and failed to say who stabbed the guard. There were some common mistakes such as: Tag Hewer watches; solitary rings; femoral artery became thermal artery; the businessman was wearing a silver suit; a flip knife; and shornoff/sworn-off/sewn-off shotgun. Candidates need to leave time to double-check their work before the end of the exam, otherwise they risk losing marks. Candidates should also be reminded that the News Interview should be treated as a real-life situation, and ensure they conduct themselves in a professional manner throughout. LOGBOOK 55 candidates; 54 passed 98 per cent The March sitting has seen a number of strong submissions in the Logbook section, culminating in an excellent example which was named as the prize winner. Such was the quality of the winning submission, it is probably one of the best seen by NCTJ examiners in this category. There were no major issues with the submissions presented and it has been pleasing to note that all candidates appear to have taken to the e-logbook system with ease. The new task of social media and the additional free choice task have been met with approval by candidates. 8

9 National Qualification in Journalism for Reporters Comparative figures (Pre March figures are for the old style National Certificate Examination) TOTAL ENTRY NCE NCE NCE NCE NCE NQJ NQJ NQJ NQJ No of candidates No of passes No of failures % passed FIRST-TIMERS No of candidates No of passes No of failures % passed RE-SITS No of candidates No of passes No of failures % passed Analysis of figures for each exam section (first-timers and re-sits) NEWS INTERVIEW No of candidates No of passes No of failures % passed NEWS REPORT No of candidates No of passes No of failures % passed MEDIA LAW & PRACTICE No of candidates No of passes No of failures % passed LOGBOOK No of candidates No of passes No of failures % passed NCTJ