NATIONAL QUALIFICATION IN JOURNALISM REPORTERS Examiners’ Report November 2013 NATIONAL QUALIFICATION IN JOURNALISM FOR REPORTERS November 2013 In November 88 candidates sat the National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) across nine centres. The NQJ was awarded to 54 candidates – a pass rate of 62 per cent. AWARD WINNERS TED BOTTOMLEY AWARD (MEDIA LAW AND PRACTICE – £250) Sponsored by Midland News Association Lizzie Dearden Ilford Recorder This paper was a joy to mark, not only for the knowledge displayed but also for the crisp and easy-to-follow writing style. The winner showed an excellent grasp of the law and how it applied to the scenarios posed in the exam questions. When it came to the ethics question, the candidate produced a near-perfect answer that was well-argued, with sensible and workable decisions. ESSO AWARD (NEWS REPORT – £250) Emma Rigby Wirral Globe Emma delivered accurate content to the reader in an informative and easy to understand report. Part B was well thought through and demonstrated the candidate’s ability to think through all aspects of news coverage. SOCIETY OF EDITORS’ AWARD (NEWS INTERVIEW – £250) Ramzy Alwakeel Romford Recorder Ramzy's story was precise, concise and accurate. He had good linking paragraphs, a great use of colour and captured the drama of the incident. A very readable piece. NEWSQUEST AWARD (LOGBOOK – £250) Jonathon Taylor Western Gazette Overall Jonathon produced a high scoring logbook with a number of particularly strong key tasks. His news backgrounder submissions clearly demonstrated both dedication and personal passion and his trainee’s choice submissions were very well written and scored highly. Jonathon is clearly a competent member of the newsroom and a deserved overall winner. The following candidates, listed in alphabetical order by surname, have now gained the National Qualification in Journalism for Reporters. Forename Surname Company Matthew Abbott Thurrock Gazette Ramzy Alwakeel Romford Recorder Gemma Angell Courier Newspapers Ellis Barker Newbury Weekly News Kathryn Cain Bedford on Sunday Johanna Carr The West Briton Elise Chamberlain Sutton Coldfield Observer Marcus Chippindale Bucks Herald David Cosgrove Hertfordshire Mercury Robin Cottle Bexley Times Jessica Cree Lancashire Telegraph Robert John Dalling Llanelli Star Lizzie Dearden Ilford Recorder David Doyle Rotherham Advertiser Anna Dubuis Barking & Dagenham Post James Dunn Grimsby Telegraph Alexander Evans Weston Worle & Somerset Mercury David Freezer Eastern Daily Press Sam Inkersole Courier Newspapers Ben James The Argus Laura James The Sentinel Nicola Jaques The Garstang Courier Lydia Sofia Johnson Hereford Times James Johnson News and Star Alex Johnston Ackrill Media Group Craig Jones Wiltshire Times Luke Lambert Evening Echo Newspapers, Basildon Lucy Elizabeth Leeson Hull Daily Mail Samantha Lewis Herts Advertiser Stephanie Manley Westmorland Gazette Katie Mansfield Essex Enquirer Michael John Marsh Somerset County Gazette Hardeep Matharu Epsom Guardian Daniel Robert Milligan Somerset County Gazette Sophie Morgan Western Gazette Samuel James Morris Lincolnshire Echo Andrew Nowell Wigan Evening Post Amanda Nunn Ilford Recorder Lisa Porter Target Series Thomas Potter East Anglian Daily Times James Preston Maidenhead Advertiser Jonathan George Pritchard Shropshire Star Jason Pritchard Banbury Guardian Emma Rigby Wirral Globe Alexander Robertson Courier Media Group Sarah Robinson Whitehaven News Daniel Robinson Henley Standard Anna Slater Hendon Times Group Sophia Sleigh Sutton Guardian Francesca Taffs North Devon Journal Jonathon Taylor Western Gazette Christopher Terris Taylor Warrington Guardian Sarah Trotter News Shopper Emma Walker Dorset Echo CHIEF EXAMINER’S SUMMARY Candidates sitting the November exams for the National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) achieved the highest pass rate in more than two years. Fifty-four of the 88 candidates were successful – a pass rate of 62 per cent. It was particularly pleasing to see a 26 percentage point rise in the pass rate for the Media Law & Practice section, from 43 per cent to 69 per cent.” In the previous sitting there had been evidence of a lack of understanding and knowledge on some areas of law and a lack of confidence on ethical questions, but results this time around are very encouraging. The Logbook section was passed by all candidates for only the second time in nine sittings, with a handful of candidates submitting the new e-logbook. Weak shorthand leading to inaccuracies was highlighted as a likely contributory factor to the 66 per cent pass rate in the News Report section – the lowest of the pass rates for individual sections. Shorthand and questioning technique were considered to be the main issues in the Interview section, leading the moderator to question how often trainees actually carry out face-to-face interviews. The four award winners were Lizzie Dearden, of the Ilford Recorder (Media Law & Practice), Emma Rigby, of the Northwich Guardian (News Report), Ramzy Alwakeel, of the Romford Recorder (News Interview) and Jonathon Taylor, of the Western Gazette (Logbook). They each receive a £250 prize. MEDIA LAW AND PRACTICE – 86 candidates; 59 passed – 69 per cent After disappointing results from the July exam, this set of answers was far more encouraging, especially in the way candidates tackled the ethics question. This was primarily about breaching Clause 3 of the Editors’ Code of Practice and some of the answers were spot-on and most showed sound understanding of the problems faced when going on a police raid. The fact that the failure rate for this question was below 25 per cent shows that candidates are far more in tune with ethical problems than in the past. In the law questions, it was candidates who had the knowledge and knew how to apply it to the scenarios posed who did the best. A good writing style also helped and it is recommended that candidates use a bullet point approach when answering these questions. As usual, these questions tested areas all candidates should come across in their normal working lives: defamation, contempt and reporting restrictions in court, plus a little bit on copyright and privacy. One of the questions also brought in some new law, the Education Act 2011, and candidates are reminded of the need to keep up-to-date of changes in the law that may affect their work. Examiners recommend that future candidates return to 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. For those of you who passed, congratulations, and for those who did not, plenty of revision and good luck with your future attempt! NEWS REPORT – 79 candidates; 52 passed – 66 per cent Despite the generally good pass rate in this section, accuracy is still eluding many of our aspiring young journalists. The News Report paper featured the Ashworth Valley Caravan Park which was proposing to spend £1.2million of its record £3million profits for the year on improving access for its holidaymakers. Candidates were told that the current one-way narrow entrance road to the site would be rebuilt as a two-way road and that as part of the project the park would pay for resurfacing the adjacent two-mile stretch of the B2049 which was riddled with 500 potholes. The council did not have the £250,000 needed for the repairs and details were given of the compensation already paid out to road users who had damaged their cars in the potholes. The News Report traditionally contains statistics and figures and these must be reported accurately and in context, in the same way a trainee would be expected to record information they obtain on the job. Too many candidates wrote stories saying that the park was spending £1.2mllion on repairing the B2049 and some did not mention the access road at all. This lack of attention to factual detail may, in some cases, result in a correction being demanded if it were published. Weak shorthand is a likely contributory factor, as this prevents candidates from getting down the statistics during the speech, but a good reporter will also listen to what is being said and should be able to rely on memory as well as their notes. There is also a tendency among trainees to tell a partial story, assuming the reader already knows the basic details. This is not always the case and a good report will contain enough background information to set the story in context for anyone who wants to read it. In Part B there are more marks to be gained if candidates carefully think the scenario through. The ideas must be practical and have merit and depth. For example, was it really practical to suggest illustrating an immediate web story by gathering people who had suffered pothole damage to their vehicles and asking them to pose on the B2049? Part B should provide some easy marks, but disappointingly the average candidate scored around 10 of the 20 possible marks available. NEWS INTERVIEW – 71 candidates; 54 passed – 76 per cent This was a story about a firefighter being critically injured when a batch of illegal and faulty fireworks explode at an industrial unit. He is well known in the town as he is a semi-professional goalkeeper for the town’s football club. He was dragged unconscious to safety by his injured colleague who also suffered burns. There was added drama as one of the main roads into town had to be closed and six families were evacuated at the height of the blaze. The other strand to the story was that it was suspected that there were still illegal and dangerous fireworks in the town and more bonfires were planned for the following night. Many candidates went for the rescue line, but others came up with drop intros and some odd angles for a hard news story.