NCTJ makes resilience training mandatory for its journalism courses

UK journalism students will receive resilience training aimed at helping them handle the stresses of working in journalism - including reporting on traumatic topics as well as online criticism or abuse.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) is the UK's foremost journalism training organisation. Its qualifications and specifically the Level 5 Diploma in Journalism are a common hiring requirement for trainee journalists.

The NCTJ has updated its performance standards, meaning training providers (such as universities) must deliver resilience training to all students on its accredited courses. This will be reviewed annually with evidence of training supplied by the providers.

"We would define [resilience] as students feeling adequately supported and equipped to cover topics or scenarios in their training and assessments which may cause them distress or anguish," says Rachel Manby, head of awarding, NCTJ, in an email to Journalism.co.uk when asked what this may include.

"Training should allow students to look after their own well-being, particularly when dealing with public criticism, online abuse and covering emotionally difficult topics. Students will naturally need the support and guidance of editors and colleagues when entering the industry, but we want them to feel prepared to cover emotive topics during their training and not shy away from them."

The NCTJ confirmed that training providers have the discretion to deliver this training in any way that works for them, including content, delivery and timetabling within their course structure. However, the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism will be updated to use scenarios based on real-life events and may deal with subjects that can be distressing.

Resilience training is not formally assessed within the diploma qualification. But the programme of study for essential journalism, one of the mandatory modules in the diploma, includes a non-examined section on health and safety.

This topic requires training providers to ensure candidates are prepared to deal with events which may be dangerous or distressing, such as covering a story where a member of the public has been badly injured, or distressing images and video arriving into a newsroom, including via social media.

What sort of an industry are students walking into?

The training sessions are a welcome announcement for the news industry and are the latest example of a growing conversation about resilience in journalism. That is the view of John Crowley (right), a veteran journalist and co-founder of Headlines Network, an organisation providing training around mental health in journalism.

"We all realise that newsrooms are fast-paced, dynamic and sometimes demanding. We accept and welcome that. But there is a lot of pressure put on younger journalists entering the profession where they face pressure to perform, do extra hours and go beyond what is quite acceptable.

"The industry has always been like that, but it’s been a blindspot in terms of the demands put on journalists. If support isn’t there, or if journalists aren’t given due warning about how tough it can be, that can have a real effect on people.

"Many journalists have entered the industry thinking it looks bright and shiny, but when they come in they realise it’s not as inviting as it’s been made out to be. A lot of younger reporters will vote with their feet and leave."

He says that the effectiveness of the NCTJ's move depends on the contents of the training, because the NCTJ is placing the onus on training providers to design and deliver the sessions. The number one need seen by Headlines Network is dealing with vicarious trauma, which refers to the emotional impact of reporting on traumatic news stories such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Resilience training must also include supporting individuals on how to ignite conversations in the workplace, says Crowley.

"A lot of young journalists are adept at talking about their own mental health and with young colleagues. But talking to superiors, putting their head above the parapet and starting that conversation with longer-in-the-tooth newsroom leaders is a lot more difficult.

"It isn’t just about building resilience within yourself - which is really important - it’s also how to start a conversation around good mental health culturally."

As well as the resilience component, a new course in journalism safety will also be launched on the NCTJ’s Journalism Skills Academy by autumn 2022. It is designed for any current or prospective journalist who would like to gain more skills and support about staying safe in different contexts.

It will include advice on how to protect yourself and others online, including dealing with privacy and online abuse, and how to manage reporting on sensitive subjects.

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