Is the Diploma in News Reporting NCTJ-accredited?

The course's media law, public affairs and shorthand modules are designed around the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism syllabus. Students choosing to sit NCTJ examinations alongside the Diploma are supported in doing so. We do not currently hold formal NCTJ accreditation; the curriculum is structured around what UK newsrooms recruit for.

Do I have to learn shorthand on the Diploma in News Reporting?

Shorthand is a core module taught to Teeline 100 wpm for students pursuing NCTJ exam alignment. It is highly recommended for any student aiming at a regional newsroom role and remains a meaningful advantage at interview.

Will I attend real court hearings on the Diploma in News Reporting?

Yes — for on-campus students. The course includes structured visits to London magistrates' and Crown courts with pre- and post-court briefings. Online and distance students attend equivalent recorded court sessions and complete court-reporting exercises on real (anonymised) cases.

Can I study the Diploma in News Reporting online?

Yes. The online route runs the same weekly newsroom seminars over video, with court and public-affairs reporting completed in your own local area under tutor supervision. Distance learners attend one intensive on-campus week per academic year.

How is the Diploma in News Reporting different from the BA Professional Journalism?

The Diploma is a focused nine-to-twelve-month qualification on the core news-reporting craft. The BA Professional Journalism covers the same ground in more depth over three years and adds features, longform, digital craft and a substantial portfolio. The Diploma is the right credential if you want a focused, fast route into a newsroom.

Diploma in News Reporting in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in News Reporting at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a nine-to-twelve-month UK qualification for aspiring news reporters who want to walk into a regional newsroom on day one and be useful. You will report and file news every week, attend live magistrates' and council sessions, work through UK media law to a working level, train shorthand to NCTJ-aligned standards, and finish with a portfolio of published news stories that demonstrates you can do the job.

The Diploma in News Reporting is built around the working day of a junior news reporter. We assume nothing about your starting point and a great deal about your willingness to file under deadline. By graduation you can take a news desk brief at nine, file a story by lunchtime, cover a court hearing in the afternoon, and write up a councillor scrap for the evening site refresh.

Key Features

Weekly news filing — pitch, report and file news stories every week of the academic year.
Live court reporting at London magistrates' and Crown courts, with structured pre- and post-court briefings.
Council reporting strand — local council, devolved-government and committee structures.
UK media law module aligned with NCTJ syllabus standards — defamation, contempt, reporting restrictions, harassment, privacy.
Shorthand training to Teeline 100 wpm for students sitting NCTJ alignment.
Published portfolio assessed against UK regional newsroom hire standards.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in News Reporting is structured around the daily craft of a working news reporter — get the story, file it cleanly, hold the deadline, stay inside the law. You graduate able to produce news copy a regional newsroom can publish, navigate a court hearing without contempt risk, and report a council meeting accurately.

News reporting — story sourcing, top-line discipline, attribution, accuracy.
News writing — house style, sentence-level craft, headlines, intros, structure.
Interviewing — telephone, in-person, doorstep, on-the-record and background.
Court reporting — magistrates', Crown and civil; the structure of a hearing and what you can and cannot report.
Council and public-affairs reporting — UK local government, devolved bodies, public records, FOI basics.
UK media law — defamation defences, contempt, reporting restrictions, harassment, privacy, data protection.
Shorthand — Teeline to 100 wpm for students sitting NCTJ alignment.
Ethics and standards — Editors' Code, IPSO and IMPRESS, accuracy logs, right-of-reply discipline.
Digital publishing literacy — web writing, social distribution, audience metrics.

Who This Diploma Is For

Aspiring news reporters at the start of their career who want to be regional-newsroom-ready on graduation.
Working journalists at hyperlocal or specialist titles wanting a UK Diploma to anchor their portfolio.
Career-changers from teaching, the civil service or other professional fields committing to journalism mid-career.
International journalists relocating to the UK and needing the UK media law and court-reporting training the local market expects.

Career Pathways

The Diploma in News Reporting is one of the standard routes into UK regional and national newsrooms. Graduates typically progress into staff reporter roles at regional titles, online news desks and specialist publications. Typical first or next roles include:

News Reporter (regional newspaper, online title, hyperlocal publisher)
News Desk Editor (regional title, online news desk)
Local Government Reporter (regional title, specialist local-government publication)
Crime Reporter (regional title, court-reporting agency)
Wire-Service Reporter (PA Media, Reuters domestic — entry routes)
Press Officer (NHS trust, local authority, police force)

The Diploma is the natural prerequisite for the Advanced Diploma in Investigative Journalism, the Advanced Diploma in Journalism Ethics and Media Law, or the BA Professional Journalism for students who continue.

Entry Requirements

Completion of secondary school (A-Levels, BTEC, or international equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement.
Mature applicants (21+) may apply with two years of relevant work experience.

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.