NiE Careers - Journalists Confident, resilient, determined and committed. Just a few of the personal qualities needed to become a successful reporter. Deadlinesmust be met so the ability to thrive under pressure is essential. Reporters should be adaptable. They will find themselves covering stories from armed robberies and unexplained deaths to local fetes and golden wedding celebrations.
Information is collected by telephone or personal interviews and shorthand skills are essential.
All reporters are trained to take shorthand at speeds of at least 100 words per minute. Once adequate information is collected the reporters then input the story into a computer. Skill is needed to make the story interesting, to grab the reader's attention early on and appeal to a variety of people. Minimum entry requirements for the course at 5 GCSE passes at Grades A-C, although its extremely rare for anybody to enter with this level of qualifications. All the courses cover journalistic skills, current affairs, law and public administration, along with shorthand and typing.