Do you want to be a reporter? Here's how to apply and join the Newcastle Chronicle

The Community News Project bootcamp included community reporters working all over the UK.
-Credit: (Image: NCTJ)


Are you passionate about your local community? If you want to work in a job where you can highlight the issues that matter where you live and the voices that often go unheard, this exciting new journalism opportunity may be for you.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a journalist but worry you don’t have the right experience or qualifications, a new scheme could mark the start of your dream career. ChronicleLive has teamed up with the NCTJ’s Community News Project and we have the opportunity for a trainee community reporter to come and join our team, working for ChronicleLive and the Newcastle Chronicle while you train to become a qualified journalist over the next two years.

Our community reporter will tell the stories that matter the most to local people in and around Newcastle and the North East. They will develop community networks in person and online, building local contacts, engaging with readers, and seeking out the stories that might otherwise go untold.

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We’re looking for diverse, driven individuals with no prior journalism experience to join us on a two-year, paid contract and work towards the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism.

The Community News Project is run by journalism training body the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). It aims to give a voice to the people and issues that often go unheard in local communities across the UK.

The Community News Project bootcamp included community reporters working all over the UK.
The Community News Project bootcamp included community reporters working all over the UK. -Credit:NCTJ

We have our own success story at ChronicleLive in the form of our journalists Owen Younger and Nicole Goodwin, who joined us via a similar scheme several years ago. Both now have permanent reporter jobs in our ChronicleLive newsroom and are doing great work every day telling the stories of the North East.

Will Gore, head of projects and partnerships at the NCTJ, said: “The Community News Project has been transformative to local journalism by bringing underreported stories to light and opening doors to those who may not have had the opportunity to train as journalists otherwise.

“We are thrilled to see the project continue, and we look forward to receiving applications from those who are passionate about community-focussed journalism. These new reporters will play a vital role in connecting with their communities and highlighting perspectives that are often underrepresented.”

Helen Dalby, Reach's Audience and Content Director in the North East and Yorkshire and the company’s editorial lead for the Community News Project, said: “Trusted journalism that gets to the heart of local communities has never been more important to our readers. We’re delighted to partner with the NCTJ on this new phase of the brilliant Community News Project to train the journalists of the future to find and tell those stories.”

The closing date for this exciting opportunity is 5pm on Monday, December 2. Applicants must apply directly to the NCTJ and not to publishers - more information, and how to apply, can be found on the NCTJ website here.