BBC College of Journalism

BBC College of Journalism is the core centre for training journalists, providing many useful and detailed videos on every aspect of journalism. As my news patch is crime and courts I have focused on the law section on the website, I also did this in preparation before starting out as a court reporter in the summer, outlining the roles of people found in court; this can be found here. These notes were made from the tour by Rory Maclean of Southwark Crown Court, which I found extremely helpful in establishing who sits where in the court; this made my first time down to court less daunting as I could position all the different professionals in their place from the Judge to the dock. It also gave me an insight into what each person does in the court, particularly the clerk of the court which is a good source for me to get the identification of the defendant. The Crown Court video can be found here. The briefings on Defamation, Privacy, Copyright and Contempt helped me freshen up on my media law, this knowledge is essential when dealing with crime and the law.

Over the course of time as a court reporter I have established that finding pictures to illustrate the case has been the hardest challenge. Often the reports rely heavily on a piece to camera, which is talking directly to the camera in vision. David Shukman's video on pieces to camera shows a detailed analysis of interacting with the camera in a comfortable and confident way.

When watching the local reporting video I found I could easily relate to the advice given. As suggested with news gathering it is best to source stories from other places rather then just the 'diary', such as social media sites and contacts that you have built a strong and trusted relationship with. I have followed national organisations and importantly local organisations to keep up to date with the news in the area. From the local papers to all the local corporations including the police, ambulance service, fire etc relating to my news beat to keep on track with all the breaking news in the crime field. In relation to building a good relationship I feel I have done this by working closely with the police, press officers, the courts and the crown prosecution. As a news team we also gather on a monday where we can share our ideas and stories, as suggested on the local reporting video collaborating with others helps as we can exchange contacts and someone may have information on something you need. I like the idea of brainstorming future ideas on a board so it can remain as a hard copy for all reporters to glance at and contribute too. The video on local reporting can be found here.

The BBC college of Journalism is certainly a encouraging and informative tool to help training journalists learn the ropes from the basics, all the way to the top of the ladder. A site I will constantly refer to, to enhance and improve my skills.