Bournemouth University’s journalism students are making waves in industry after being shortlisted four times in the National Council for Journalism Training’s (NCTJ) Awards for Excellence 2017 and and twice in this year’s Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) Awards.
The three students nominated for the NCTJ Awards - Luke Hastings, Jason Lewis and Roshan Roberts-Crooks - are all due to graduate next month with a degree in BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism. So too is Hannah Kane, who is one of just two shortlisted students in the BJTC Awards’ Radio News Feature category for the centrepiece of her Major Multimedia Project, Post Brexit Hate.
They also all studied for their professional NCTJ diplomas throughout their degrees and achieved the top accolade – a Gold Diploma.
Since finishing the course in July, all four students have gone into the journalism industry. Roshan Roberts-Crooks, who was shortlisted for her multimedia story of the year has got a job as a Production trainee at the BBC.
Luke Hastings, who was shortlisted for the award of Best Student Project for his Major Multimedia Project The Forgotten Survivors, is working at the BBC World Service on their Newsday Programme and Jason Lewis, shortlisted for The Story of the Year, has a job as sports reporter for the nearby Bournemouth Daily Echo. Hannah Kane is a Journalist at Essex Live, a regional multimedia news service.
The BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism course was also shortlisted in The Awards For Excellence for the Innovation of The Year award for its interactive documentaries, which students create as part of the Features and Online unit.
The students producing i-docs have to do more than report the news; they have to create a news interface with branching pathways for their audience to explore. This means rethinking traditional notions of authorship and discovering new and effective ways to engage with online users. It involves re-conceptualising the notion of story.
The i-doc Paranormal Interactivity - produced by current 3rd year Multimedia Journalism students Mark Briggs, Daniel Dove, Liam Baldock and Daniel Sansom - is BU's other nominee at the BJTC Awards, in the Website of the Year category.
Programme Leader for BA Multimedia Journalism Mat Charles said: “We’re delighted that we have been nominated for Innovation of the Year award. This is recognition that we are at the forefront of journalism education in the UK. Creative storytelling is at the heart of the BAMMJ experience.”
The BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism is accredited by three industry-recognised bodies: the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC), the National Council for Training of Journalists (NCTJ), and the Professional Publishers Association (PPA).
As an NCTJ accredited course, students sit the NCTJ qualifications in: Essential Journalism, Essential Law, Court Reporting, Public Affairs, Production, Portfolio, and Shorthand.
Students who pass all the exams will graduate with a NCTJ Diploma in Journalism and the students who achieve A-C and 100 words per minute in shorthand, will graduate with a Gold Standard NCTJ Diploma. This widely recognised professional qualification, as well as the course’s BJTC approved working practices, can enhance a young journalist’s credibility and employability as a practicing journalist.
At BU, taught by NCTJ qualified journalists, editors and practitioners, students hone their practical skills by producing copy, bulletins and broadcast packages, in state-of-the-art dedicated newsrooms and digitally-equipped studios, which replicate professional working environments.
All the students are also required to complete either two short placements or 30-weeks in industry.
More information about the NCTJ Awards for Excellence can be found on the NCTJ website while further details about the BJTC Awards are on the BTJC's website.
