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A great opportunity for all future journalists!
21 October 2022
Do you want to be a journalist? The UCL VPEE Student Journalism Scheme is a new one-year paid journalism training programme from UCL’s central communications team that fits around your studies.
A fantastic new opportunity for budding journalists, the UCL VPEE Student Journalism Scheme is a year-long journalism training programme which fits around your studies and gives you a chance to build a portfolio writing paid articles for UCL Student News and other channels.
It is open to all UCL students (from first-year undergraduates to PhD students) on all courses.
The programme starts in November 2022 and will continue until the end of the summer term. You will be expected to pitch and write 1-2 articles each term, for which you will be paid, and you will train in a range of skills that are essential for a career as a journalist.
You will also do journalism Masterclasses with both our Media Relations team and professional working journalists, including from The Conversation.
By the end of the programme, you will have a portfolio of articles for UCL News, which you will be paid for, as well as a reference to use for your future job applications.
In Term 1, you will focus on pitching and getting commissioned.
- Term 1 – pitching and getting commissioned
Pitching is the backbone of journalism. Whether you’re in-house or a freelancer, pitching skills are all-important. You are going to need to advocate for why your articles should be written.
You’ll also accept commissions and carry them out so that they fulfil the brief set by your editors.Includes:
-Learning how to hone your article pitches by developing a strong news sense and understanding what’s involved in a successful story
-Honing your skills so you’re pitching articles that are newsworthy, timely and relevant to UCL
-Following through with commissions to write (paid) articles for UCL Student News and other UCL channels
-A Masterclass on an aspect of journalism from a professional journalist and/or members of UCL’s Media Relations Team
In Term 2, you will focus on reporting, interviewing and writing.
- Term 2 – reporting, interviewing and writing
Reporting, interviewing and writing are at the heart of any good journalist’s toolbox. As a journalist, you need to confidently set down what you have witnessed in words, knowing what needs to go in – and what to leave out.
You also need to be an effective interviewer. Who should you interview, what questions do you ask them, and how do you turn a transcript into a great article?
Writing is a journalist’s fundamental skill. The more fluent you are as a writer, the better, but it’s a craft that can always be improved on.Writing combines the skills of reporting and interviewing with a sense of style and an awareness of audience. In this term, we look at how you can write the best possible articles.
Includes:
-You will continue to pitch and be commissioned to write UCL Student News stories – these might be features, or reports on events happening at UCL, interviews, and more.
-You will hone your reporting skills – learn how to gather information, talk to key people, follow up story leads, and plan and shape an article.
-You will practice writing from a strong news angle and writing from a human-interest angle.
-You will learn UCL’s house style, including creating headlines and standfirsts.
-A Masterclass on an aspect of journalism from a professional journalist and/or members of UCL’s Media Relations Team
In Term 3, you will focus on editing.
- Term 3 – editing
Whether or not you dream of editing other people’s copy, you still need to be able to brilliantly edit your own. Nothing is more appreciated by an editor than a journalist who sends them clean, precise copy.
You will have hands-on editing help so you can organise your own writing better. You will learn to create a clear through-line in an article, to structure your work better, and to know what can be cut.
Includes:
-In-depth edits and editing advice from the UCL Student Journalism Programme team.
-You will practice editing your own articles to make them more concise and engaging.
-You will bring together all the skills you’ve learnt over the past year to pitch, write and edit your own exemplary stories for UCL Student News and other UCL channels.
-A Masterclass on an aspect of journalism from a professional journalist and/or members of UCL’s Media Relations Team
If you are already part of the student journalism pool, you are welcome to apply.
including payment details and the likely time commitment.
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