How is BA News Reporting and Writing different from BA Journalism?

BA Journalism is the broader degree, with substantial multi-platform, podcast and longform content alongside the news desk. BA News Reporting and Writing concentrates almost all teaching time on the daily news desk — writing, reporting, courts, council, shorthand. Choose this if you know you want to be a reporter.

Does BA News Reporting and Writing include shorthand?

Yes — Teeline shorthand to 100 wpm is an examinable strand alongside the degree, sat through the NCTJ. It is included in the standard programme and not an optional extra. Most regional newsroom employers expect shorthand at this standard.

Will I sit in real courts and councils on BA News Reporting and Writing?

Yes — sustained sittings at magistrates' and Crown courts in central London and at council meetings across the city are part of the course. Online and distance students attend remote council meetings (which are mostly streamed) and submit reports for tutor review.

Is BA News Reporting and Writing online viable for a working journalist?

Yes. Online students join live newsdays remotely, file to the same deadlines as on-campus cohorts, and complete the same portfolio. Distance learners set their own pace within deadlines. Both routes finish with the same news portfolio.

What's the difference between BA News Reporting and Writing and a Diploma in News Reporting?

The Diploma is a one-year level-5 qualification focused on practical newsroom skills; BA News Reporting and Writing is the full three-year honours degree with media law, public affairs, shorthand and a longer portfolio. The Diploma can be a stepping-stone into the final year of the BA.

BA News Reporting and Writing in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA News Reporting and Writing at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree built tightly around the daily news desk — the writing, reporting, court coverage and council beat work that holds regional and national newsrooms together. You will file across print, online and broadcast formats from Year 1 and graduate with a substantial portfolio of news-desk work.

Where BA Journalism is the broad degree, BA News Reporting and Writing is the specialist one — designed for students who already know they want to be a working reporter and want every credit hour spent on the craft.

Key Features

UK honours degree — three years full-time, with online and distance routes for international and working students.
NCTJ-aligned modules in news writing, media law, public affairs and shorthand (optional Teeline at 100 wpm).
Daily live newsday programme from Year 1 — write, file and publish to a fixed deadline every week.
Court and council reporting module with sustained sitting at magistrates', Crown and council meetings.
Industry-led masterclasses from working reporters and news editors at UK regional press, the BBC, ITN and online national titles.
Graduating news portfolio — twenty published or publication-standard news pieces, ready to show editors at interview.

What You Will Learn

The BA News Reporting and Writing is structured around the daily disciplines of the news desk — find a story before the press release lands, write it tight, file it on time, and stand by it under challenge. You finish able to walk into a regional newsroom and be useful from day one.

News writing — intro, structure, attribution, the inverted pyramid, the second-day write-through.
Reporting craft — finding stories, working contacts, doorstepping, vox-pops, on-the-record management.
Court reporting — magistrates', Crown, civil and tribunal hearings; reporting restrictions; contempt risk.
Council reporting — local authority meetings, devolved governments, planning, scrutiny committees.
Public affairs — Westminster, Whitehall, the courts at NCTJ standard.
Shorthand (optional Teeline to 100 wpm) — alongside the degree, NCTJ-examinable.
Online news production — CMS work, SEO basics, social-first distribution.
Media law — defamation, contempt, privacy, harassment under the NCTJ syllabus.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers determined to be working reporters rather than generic media graduates.
International students wanting a UK news-desk training in the city where most UK newsrooms are run.
Career-changers from teaching, the civil service or related fields entering reporting formally.
Mature applicants with local-newsletter, community-paper or blog experience seeking a UK honours degree to formalise it.

Career Pathways

BA News Reporting and Writing graduates move into reporting roles across the UK news ecosystem — regional newspapers, online national titles, broadcast newsrooms, specialist trade titles and the press offices that recruit former reporters. Typical first roles include:

News Reporter (regional newspaper, online news brand)
News Desk Editor (junior production role at a regional or online national title)
Local Government Reporter (regional press, hyperlocal publisher)
Crime Reporter (regional press, online national)
Wire-Service Reporter (entry-level at PA, Reuters, AP)
Broadcast News Reporter (BBC local radio, regional ITV news, commercial radio)

Graduates progress to a Master's in News Reporting and Writing or to NCTJ Senior Examination standard alongside their first newsroom role.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement and a writing sample.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.