Month: November 2015

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Sussex journalism MA wins award for excellence

Dr Paul Lashmar (second left) and Paula O’Shea receive the NCTJ’s 2015 Award for Excellence for the University of Sussex MA in Journalism, the “best performing HE postgraduate course”.

The national organisation that oversees the training of UK journalists has declared the University of Sussex’s MA in Journalism to be the “best performing HE postgraduate course for 2014-15”.

Dr Paul Lashmar, who leads the University’s growing journalism team, was at the Library of Birmingham on Thursday (26 November) to receive a 2015 Award for Excellence from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), which accredits the Sussex degree.

He was joined by Paula O’Shea, managing director of the University’s partner institution, Brighton Journalist Works (BJW), whose experienced journalists teach elements of the postgraduate MA course.

This hands-on training is framed within the academic and intellectual agenda delivered at Sussex – the highest-ranking university in the UK to offer an NCTJ-accredited qualification in journalism.

Dr Lashmar said: “This prestigious award shows we not only meet the rigorous standards that are required by the news industry but we are up there with the best. It is all about our students getting the jobs they want in journalism.

“This is a tribute to the University of Sussex relationship with Brighton Journalism Works.”

Sussex has a BA and four MAs in Journalism and the number of journalism students is increasing year on year, with 100 now on campus.

“There is a real demand for the best minds to be recruited into the media,” added Dr Lashmar. “Journalism is a developing subject at Sussex and we are committed to high-quality and radically questioning journalism.”

 

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My panel on Investigative Journalism at NCTJ went down very well

Some of the best investigative journalism is being done locally, NCTJ conference told.

Regional news outlets are producing some of the best investigative journalism, said Paul Myers, head of the BBC Academy’s investigative hub at the NCTJ Journalism Skills Conference.

Paul made the comments in a question and answer session during a panel session on investigative journalism at the event hosted by the BBC Academy on Thursday, 26 November. He cited BBC Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme as an example of what could be achieved through effective investigative work.

During the session, Paul Myers also discussed his favourite online tools for investigative journalism. He showed delegates how they could quickly analyse Twitter users to find common themes, use Google to find information about a person using only a picture and using Skype Grab to find an IP address.

Also on the panel were investigative editors Jeanette Oldham, of Birmingham Mail, and David Powles of Archant. The session was chaired by Paul Lashmar, senior lecturer in journalism, University of Sussex.

Paul Lashmar said investigative journalism was still one of the most exciting forms of journalism and he urged tutors to instil in their students a desire to protect their sources.

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I’ll be chairing a session on Investigative Journalism at the NCTJ Skills Conference

Journalism Skills Conference moves to Birmingham for 2015

30th July 2015

The 2015 NCTJ Journalism Skills Conference sessions will be hosted this year by the BBC in Birmingham, the heart of its Academy training operation as well as home to its news output for the West Midlands.

The two-day event will be held at The Mailbox, one of the BBC’s main UK centres, on 26 and 27 November. The venue has been described by Tony Hall as ‘the place to be if you’re interested in new skills and digital innovation’, and, with the BBC’s journalism apprentice schemes, community outreach teams and talent and skills development now based there, it provides the perfect backdrop for the conference.

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As of this week I will be heading Journalism at University of Sussex.

After a few weeks of finding out how things work at Sussex, I will be taking over leading Journalism from Prof Ivor Gaber who has been acting head for some months. Ivor will now be able to concentrate on his main role as Professor of Research Journalism.

US Bulletin

Top investigative journalist joins Sussex journalism team

One of the UK’s foremost investigative journalists, Dr Paul Lashmar, has joined the University of Sussex to lead its growing journalism team.

Dr Lashmar, who is also a highly regarded academic, will be teaching on the University’s undergraduate and postgraduate journalism courses.

“Journalism is a developing subject at Sussex and I look forward to helping to create an exciting and dynamic environment for our students,” says Dr Lashmar. “We are committed to high-quality and radically questioning journalism.”

He adds: “I bring the same enthusiasm for journalism that I had when I started out and hope to inspire our students to be the thinking, inquisitive and ethical journalists of the future. I already feel at home in Sussex’s unique learning environment.”

Dr Lashmar has worked in television, radio and print and published many major investigations. He has been on the staff of the Observer, Granada Television’s ‘World in Action’ current affairs series and the Independent. He has also produced television programmes for the BBC’s ‘Timewatch’ and Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ series and has reported for ‘Newsnight’. He covered the ‘War on Terror’ for the Independent on Sunday from 2001-08 and is the author of four books.

Professor Tim Jordan, the Head of the School of Media, Film and Music at Sussex, says: “We are delighted that Paul has joined us, bringing a rare combination of world-leading research and excellence in journalism.

“We expect him to help us to continue build Sussex’s particular approach to journalism that combines leading research with practical journalism skills.”

Sussex has a BA and four MAs in Journalism and the number of journalism students is increasing year-on-year, with 80 now on campus.

“There is a real demand for the best minds to be recruited into the media,” says Dr Lashmar. “We will make sure our students have the opportunity to not only learn journalism skills but to develop the creativity that Sussex is famous for.”

Dr Lashmar joins from Brunel University, where he was subject lead in journalism.

In 1986 Dr Lashmar was awarded joint ‘Reporter of The Year’ by the British Press Awards. He has written about terrorism, intelligence, organised crime, offshore crime, business fraud and the Cold War and has broken many major domestic and international stories.

He is an adviser to the Centre for Investigative Journalism and a founder of the Bureau for Investigative Journalism.