How is the Certificate in News Writing different from the Certificate in News Reporting?

News Writing is focused exclusively on the writing craft — intros, structure, attribution. News Reporting covers the full reporter's day including interviewing, attendance and filing. News Writing suits writers; News Reporting suits all-round reporters.

Will I write to deadline on the Certificate in News Writing?

Yes — weekly. Timed exercises are central to the course because intro-writing is a habit, not a theory. You will write 300- and 500-word news stories against the clock with tutor critique.

Is the Certificate in News Writing suitable for non-native English speakers?

Yes — provided the IELTS 5.5 entry standard is met. The course is fundamentally a writing course and many non-native English students find it the single most useful credential they take for their journalism careers.

Can I complete the Certificate in News Writing intensively?

Yes. Full-time intensive students complete the course in 8–10 weeks. Part-time and distance students typically take six months.

Will the Certificate in News Writing help me on the Diploma in Journalism?

Yes. Many Diploma students take the News Writing Certificate first to build the underlying writing reflex the Diploma assumes. Credit articulates into the Diploma at LSJHML.

Certificate in News Writing in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Certificate in News Writing at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a short, intensive UK qualification focused on a single craft: writing news prose. Where the Certificate in News Reporting covers the full daily-reporter discipline (interview, attendance, filing), this Certificate zeroes in on the writing — the intro, the structure, the attribution discipline that makes a news story stand up.

By the end you will write a clean 300-word news story in 20 minutes, a 500-word version in 30, and you will know the difference between a story that reads and one that doesn't.

Key Features

Intro clinic — write, critique and re-write top lines until the discipline becomes automatic.
Inverted-pyramid structure — the canonical form, when it works and when it doesn't.
Attribution discipline — naming sources, on/off-the-record, paraphrase versus direct quote.
Balance and fairness — what they mean in practice, how editors check for them.
Sub-editing your own copy — the discipline of cutting before submission.
Three study modes — on-campus, fully online or distance learning.

What You Will Learn

The Certificate in News Writing is built around the working day of a writing reporter — generating clean copy under deadline, attributing every claim, structuring for cut-from-the-bottom editing.

Top-line craft — the most important sentence in any news story.
Inverted-pyramid structure and its alternatives.
Attribution — named sources, paraphrase, indirect attribution.
Balance — what it requires, what it doesn't, where it fails.
Common news-writing errors — buried leads, false equivalence, attribution drift.
House-style basics — the major UK style traditions.
Sub-editing your own work — the cut-from-the-bottom test.
News writing for print, web and broadcast — how the same story shifts.

Who This Course Is For

Reporters at any career stage wanting to sharpen their news prose.
Communications staff who write press releases and want to write like journalists do.
Bloggers and freelance writers moving into news writing.
Students considering the Diploma in Journalism who want a focused writing-craft intensive first.

Career Pathways

The Certificate in News Writing is a craft-strengthening credential rather than a stand-alone career qualification. Typical applications include:

Junior News Reporter (regional newsroom, online publisher)
Editorial Assistant (national paper, magazine)
Press Officer (NGO, public sector, corporate)
Freelance Writer (specialist publications)
Communications Coordinator (third sector, public-sector body)
Continued Study (Diploma in Journalism or Diploma in News Reporting)

The Certificate articulates into the Diploma in News Reporting and the Diploma in Journalism at LSJHML for students continuing.

Entry Requirements

Minimum age 16.
Secondary school qualification (GCSE/O-Level or international equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 (or equivalent) for non-native English speakers.
No prior journalism experience required.

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.