Become a Journalist Postgrad Journalism Course PMA

Graduation Day!!

noreply@blogger.com (Khidr S) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Everyone is looking suave as the editors arrive to congratulate us. I can't believe it's all over! We've all worked hard and now it's time to relax a little and get those job apps out!!

Final Day

noreply@blogger.com (charlie) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:58:00 +0000

Dressed up in suit and tie ready to graduate. It's very exciting and despite all the hard work, I am going to miss PMA.

And so it ends

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:42:00 +0000

That's it. Graduation tomorrow, and then it's over. All that work, all that achievement. Amazing.

Here are some slightly altered lyrics to 'My Way', to be sung in the style of Frank Sinatra:

And now the end is near,
And so we face the final curtain.
My friend I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

We’ve learnt so many things,
We travelled each and every highway.
And where we did all this,
Was at PMA.

Re-subs we've had a few,
But then again too few to mention.
We did what we had to do,
And saw it through without exemption.

We've done features and news,
And plenty more that’s useful today.
And where we did all this,
Was at PMA.

Sometimes it felt, with loads to do,
That we bit off more than we could chew,
But through it all when there was doubt
We ate it up and spat it out,
We faced it all and we stood tall,
When at PMA.

We've loved, we've laughed and cried,
We've had our fill, our share of losing.
And now as tears subside,
We find it all so amusing.

To think we did all that,
And may I say not in a shy way,
We couldn’t have done it,
Without PMA.

So we thank Keith and thank Roberta,
And we leave him and we desert her.
We all hope we won’t be missed,
We’ve each become a journalist,
The record shows we took the blows,
All at PMA.

Yes at PMA.

63 days later.

noreply@blogger.com (the simon caine) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:46:00 +0000

So it’s nearly over for nearly all of us and I think the feeling of euphoria is more abundant than when we started. All we have to go is graduation and a few cheeky drinks, in that order.

I think that we are all avoiding thinking of the inevitable ending and parting ways for potentially hours or maybe days. Looking forward to meeting a bunch of editors tomorrow.

Finishing off...

noreply@blogger.com (matthew) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:21:00 +0000

Just one more day to go! All assignments and exams are over. My folders are puffed-up with work from the last 9 weeks. I can hardly carry them.

It’s weird not having any more features or pesky re-subs to do. I hardly know what to do with myself... Graduation is tomorrow – fingers crossed for a bit of drama!

noreply@blogger.com (Triska) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:09:00 +0000

First rule of journalism - keep it short and to the point.
So, course is done, graduating tomorrow, it has been fun.
Thank you everyone
x

The final countdown...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Watson) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:21:00 +0000

So, the time is nearly here to bid you farewell. It has certainly been a journey on the PMA, one so challenging, bewildering, thrilling and rewarding it could rival my travels round the world.

I have learnt SO much about SO many things. Firstly, there is journalism in general. On our first day, with characteristic curtness, Roberta turned to me and said: "Everything you think you know about the industry and how to be successful in it, is wrong."

And how she was right. I have learnt how to expel everything I learnt at university about how to research and communicate information in a much more direct and readable way. I have learnt that less is more. And that writing should follow a formula, instead of my own wispy way of meandering through a story and embellishing it with 'redundant' words. I have learnt that I have so much more to learn.

I have also learnt a lot about myself too. This course has beaten me with a confidence stick, and shown me that being out of your comfort zone every single day is exciting, and more importantly, necessary.

I have also met some super people and in among the stress and angst of re-subs and GYB mania, the benefits of teamwork and camaraderie have carried me through.

My final days here are filled with exams, and admittedly, plans for how to spend my first Friday night of freedom. Excited as I may be to finish, in some warped way, I will also miss the routine and daily pressure of PMA.

Thanks to the tutors for being fantastic! And thanks to the fellow PMA-ers for being equally fantastic!

Bring on graduation and the next journey...a job in journalism (we hope!)

Well done everyone xxx

Back at PMA

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:51:00 +0000

Back at PMA and after a long day of finishing off work and filing it's down to the exams.

The second week of my placement was as fantastic as the first. Wrote a news analysis and lots of news stories for the magazine, including a couple of big ones about airports. Lydd Airport (for those of you in suspense after my last post) was granted planning permission for its expansion after a seven hour meeting. It's available to watch on the Shepway District Council website. I haven't quite got round to that yet.

Had the shorthand exam at the weekend, for which I've just managed to get up to speed. Next up is proofreading. Just a few days to go!

I've had a revelation

noreply@blogger.com (Rehanon Mackenzie) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:23:00 +0000

I've included this pic of Jarvis because I wanted to - freedom of expression ;-)

Hey party people,

Last day of placement and I found hay in my porridge but that's not the above mentioned revelation. I realised that the interview I have to do today with a PCT about best practice in telehealth is not worrying me - not even a touch. This for me is a big dealio because normally I get the right concern on and I'm not saying I'm cured but I think on my way :)

Hope everyone's last day at placement goes well and can't wait to see you during the fin de semana.

Besitos,

Rehanon xxx

poorly post-grad

noreply@blogger.com (Rehanon Mackenzie) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:48:00 +0000

Poorly PG :s

Hey all,

I'm currently in my sick bed after being sent home with the "Nursing Times lurgy" on Monday. I still can't believe I managed to make it all the way through boot camp without falling by the wayside and then get knocked out on a health care title - the irony.

Prior to that, as you may or may not know I was absolutely bricking it about placement but as with most things it's never quite as bad as I create in my head. And believe me I'm a girl that can create one hell of a catastrophe in my cerebrum.

It's actually been rather good and I have got a few bylines, which is very nice and lots of lovely encouragement from the editors. It's surprising how unscary magazines and the journalists that work for them actually are. Truth be told everyone I've met has been really nice, fancy that ay nice journalists - I never.

My placement has come at a really interesting time for NT because the Mid Staffs review concluded and there has been a great deal of policy being made. Seeing how important a magazine such as NT is to its readers and the breadth of information it covers has made me realise that I really want to be a journalist working for a B2B. It has also made me realise I have learnt poop loads on the PMA, which will stand me in good stead wherever I end up but I know there's still loads to learn but I know Roberta is just a phone call away :)

I have missed PMA and the laughter just like Naomi said but I really do think that we're all going to stay in touch no matter what path we take and along with correct spelling of tranquillity, I know will keep me on the straight and narrow.

Big love,

Rehanon xxx

Becoming a Journalist...

noreply@blogger.com (nlcrespin) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:44:00 +0000

"Hi, I'm a journalist from Third Sector magazine, could we get a comment on..."

Now I see why Roberta wanted us all to go to weekly B2Bs! It's byline central and I love it - especially when people comment on your online stories. I've written lots of news, reviewed a few websites, on my way to a feature and done phone interviews in my sleep (OK, not quite in my sleep, but you do them so often that you don't even realise you're doing them!)

It's incredible how quickly we're writing NIBs (news in briefs - not y-fronts!) now: press release, phone interview, five Minutes later, NIB Done. Honestly, you pop the kettle on and a strong black Arabica later, you've got another byline - without the a,b,c, resubs!

Seriously though, and without wanting to sound like a Jerry Springer final thought, I really feel like Roberta and Keith, Ade, Tom, Will and Richard have, collectively, filled our journalist tool boxes to the brim with every possible colon, comma rule and contact book we'll ever need on a magazine! Forgot full stops though!

To anyone reading this wondering if it's worth the blood, sweat, tears and ten thousand resubs, I would say: yes. Dig out your old personal statement, dust off your CV and get on the PMA course.

Note to editor: the author did not get paid for this, rather advertorial-sounding, article!

Missing the gang though, third sector's office isn't as loud or as funny...

(And remember, take care of yourselves aand each other.)

I think my clock has stopped...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Watson) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:06:00 +0000

The first week of placement completed and only two weeks of the PMA journey to go...I feel like I have been trapped in time for the past seven weeks and truly cannot believe that it is March tomorrow. Or that I'm 23 for that matter...my birthday passed in such a blur of GYB magazine frenzy that when someone asked me my age the other day, I actually had to think about it. For a good ten seconds!

Anyway, placement is going well. Its great to have a change of scenery and put things into practice. And, it's quite nice to hand work in, see your name on the website and think- hey, I can actually do this.

The journey to Hammersmith has been a nightmare though, I'm nearing three hours of commuting everyday which works out at 15 hours a week, nearly a total of two working days...which is the very reason why I have the time to work meaningless facts like that out. Anyway enough random ranting.

I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone in a week, getting the shorthand exam (aaahh!) out the way and seeing the mag.

And then who knows...maybe I will actually BE a journalist.

See you soon guys x

One week down

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:56:00 +0000

Reached the end of the first week of my placement at Planning - the journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Press day is Tuesday, so things were hotting up when I arrived on Monday morning. "We're starting to move into fourth gear," the news editor explained. Straight away I was given stories to follow up, and got myself a byline on page two of the magazine. Not a bad start to the week.

I've had plenty to do, working on stories they've given me, and finding some of my own. It's surprising how interesting it all is. Who would guess that housing estates in Southampton and footbridges in Devon could be so exciting. And Shepway District Council is having a meeting next Wednesday to decide on whether to allow the expansion plans of Lydd airport. I await the results with interest.

I don't know anything about the subject, which can be tricky when it gets complicated. The editor is still having a think about a feature I could write. "I don't want to give you something that'll make you want to kill yourself," he said. On the other hand, after only a week I've learnt a lot and I'm already starting to get a handle on the big issues facing the industry.

The strangest thing is that everyone arrives at 9.30, and goes home at 5.30. If I arrive at 9.25, there's no one there, and if I leave at 5.35, I'm the last to go. I thought that press day might be a longer day, but no! They actually finish early. How extraordinary to have evenings and weekends free.

PMA has prepared me well. There was a freelancer in yesterday. She was doing exactly the same job as me, to the same standard. The only difference was that she was getting paid. Now there's an idea. Perhaps I'll try that next.

Placements

noreply@blogger.com (Triska) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:10:00 +0000

First day of placements. Quiet. Phones sit in front of journalists, but they are rarely touched. Odd. Hours are 9.30-5.30 = heaven.

I've ended up at emap with MEED. A small and friendly team. Editor is really helpful and we'll be discussing possible news stories and features that I could write tomorrow. Excited. Read the style guide today, slightly different to Gap Year Business, but shouldn't be too difficult to master.

I miss PMA already

Two tears in a bucket......

noreply@blogger.com (Khidr S) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:34:00 +0000

I had a long overdue appointment with Dr. Duvet this morning and it was goooooood! Yesterday was a double celebration as we wrapped on GYB and celebrated Naomi's b-day (because we're not in on Sunday). We all pretty much overdosed on sweets and chocolates to celebrate.

It was a bit of a surreal moment finishing the mag. The countless hours of writing, subbing, laying out, re-subbing, re-re-subbing, proofing and panicking finally paid off.

We start placements on Monday. Everyone is nervous, aiming to make a good impression no doubt.

I'm gonna miss the rest of the gang and the jokes that we share. But by the end of it I'm sure we'll all be flying high like Jeff Hardy.

© WWE

There is still loads of work to do. Three features for Will and a couple of hundred resubs for Keith! Oh yes and can't forget the teeline.

One final message to the crew.......click me

Willow the Whisp
xoxo

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:49:00 +0000

STAGGERINGLY late with this post - I should have done one ages ago. Oh well, it's only a deadline. (!)

Everything has been busy, what with producing a magazine and all that. Still, it's done now. I'll miss InDesign - I was just getting the hang of it.

What's that? It's done? The magazine, finished? I can hardly believe it. All that work and we're finally there. Or are we? Perhaps there'll be even more work to do when we get in tomorrow morning...

Of course there will be, with or without the magazine. There always is. "Lot's to do tomorrow," said Roberta. And she would know. I expect most of the day will be taken up with cleaning the office, although that will probably take most of the weekend.

It's a doddle this journalism, isn't it?

Stop the press!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Watson) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:25:00 +0000

It's the evening before the magazine goes to print and I am struggling
to string full sentences together...so I think it's rather lucky that we have all the
copy written!

Today has gone a bit like this:
Put copy on page, take copy off page, add image, change image for
copyright reasons, write standfirst, cut standfirst and re-do byline,
make text box, re-size text box, align text box.

REMEMBER TO LOOK AT POST-IT THAT SAYS: BLINK (thanks Keith).

Put copy on page, take copy off page, add image, change image for
copyright reasons, write standfirst, cut standfirst and re-do byline,
make text box, re-size text box, align text box...and it goes on and on.

However, we are getting there and if I may say so myself, it is coming
together beautifully!

One more night of restless, stress-ridden, magazine dream-filled sleep
and it will all be over.

But this is just the dress rehearsal. Next week it's off to placement
for the real macoy.

Yikes.

Running late and gaining weight

noreply@blogger.com (Rehanon Mackenzie) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:49:00 +0000

Hi all,

I'm sorry that I'm late to the blog again. I was meant to write on Valentine's Day but I had to move to my new pad in Shoreditch and visit a night of confessions for my feature. It was definitely an interesting way to spend a day meant for love. I was squashed in a room with 50 people revealing all manner of naughtiness and nastiness about their lives, interspersed with a man playing a banjo accompanied by an animated Henry the hoover. The life of a journalist is truly varied.

Another excuse is that I haven't been able to eat properly while on the course so I have put on weight and my fingers are getting fatter making it more difficult to type (honest Keith - they're like a packet of Walls). Seriously, at this rate I'll be wearing a moomoo - one of those sheets with an elasticated neck - that people wear on Jerry Springer.

Well GYB, premier B2B for the gap sector, has truly landed and the pressure is on. Tomorrow is deadline day and we are still rummaging around in the hovel we have created for ourselves. Charlie is king of the heap and he's giving Tracy Emin a run for the money with the pyre he's cultivating under his desk. In between, making are way through the mounds of paper and piles of Cougar bars, we are furiously laying out copy and killing all the widows and orphans.

Charlie's desk

The mag is really coming together and is looking fabby doobie even if I do say so myself. We are still managing to laugh despite Roberta turning up the heat on headlines and Keith wandering in and out to point out problems from a distance. He has the ability to spot a typo from 20 paces and it always seems to be on one of my pages.

I am still struggling with grammar and Will has informed me in the nicest possible way I'm a crime against punctuation but I guess it's just my mountain to climb. Really need to climb it soon well before midday deadline tomorrow :s

Right, I must dash and write a few more headlines buoyed by Gloria Gaynor's I am What I am.

See you post deadline,

Much love from your favourite sausage-fingered scribe xxx

Lois Lane Lays and Subs

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:59:00 +0000

I ve come to the conclusion that paper grows in our office. Everytime it is cleaned up, it returns by the box load. As for being eco friendly, I think that went out the window with my sanity.

Back to a more serious issue: the magazine. Deadline is looming. We've all being trying to master laying the pages out, subbing copy and chasing pictures. It is stressful, especially as my bloody page keeps disappearing! However, I have a feeling, at the Daily PMA Planet that it's all going to be worth it.

It can't be as bad as yesterday's law exam, well not unless your name is JT and The Kid (who both passed with flying colours). I have to say it was not one of my best moments. So, I, like the majority of my class, will have to fit in some serious study in the next couple of weeks.

No chance of skipping out of my work placement at Inside Housing then?

That's a Roberta 'NO!' on that.

Roll on March 12th........x

And so I'm left wondering...is there anything else to eat other than bread and biscuits?

noreply@blogger.com (nlcrespin) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:28:00 +0000

OK, back on the blog train, although I'm not sure that I can top the Triska ditty!

Bourbons, bread and bean soups are on the menu tonight! Not too dissimilar from, well, any of the other 35 nights here at Chez PMA! There were some Rich Teas at one point though (you know it's bad when there's nothing but a Rich Tea on offer). Then there was biscuit-gate with the stolen fig rolls.

Anyway, enough biscuit talk. The mag is well underway and so to avoid doing any more sub-editing, I'm blogging!

Today's been a real fun-filled photo day! And, as we were looking for front cover inspiration, I stumbled upon these Ms. C Bradshaw images. Surprised there were no Carrie comments on the blog as yet, I thought we might like to O.D. on them - enjoy!

Oh, is that the front door! The Chinese has just arrived - well, we can't have custard creams all the time! N x

There are a lot of commas in poems

noreply@blogger.com (Triska) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:02:00 +0000

The PMA is the place for,

hang on a minute,

I've not thought this through,

What am I to say?

I haven't a clue.

Perhaps it's best I introduce the few,

who make the days go by - I bring you the crew.

Sitting next to me is Fiona,

She likes wasabi, and we adore her.

And then there's Naomi,

Prompt and so timely,

Together with crumpet loving Rehanon,

They make fine impression-companions.

At the other end of the room sits Emily,

As editor in chief, it's she we have to please,

Opposite her is Khidr,

His name is pronounced Khidr (خدر)

A seat down is our Charlie,

The Sun journalist, his language so classy.

The smooth tones of Jonathan,

reverberate sounding Elizabethan.

Simon the inquisitive soul,

Which leg? Which leg? We'll never know.

Lest we forget chess-master Matthew,

Quiet in the corner,ready to woo.

And finally, there's me,

Your humble servant, "the queen".

Clearly we have far too much time on our hands, or I basically possess "the craft."

Magazine is coming together nicely. Still learning the tricks and tips to master the skills of inDesign.

Talking Sex with my Boss

noreply@blogger.com (the simon caine) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:30:00 +0000

Yesterday was our last features with Will, which I think went well. I have two of the six features passed at present, and I was told my copy has improved since the first one, which I liked to hear. Most everyone else is passing their assignments at speed too.

Today is a day I have been looking forward to for a bit, though I bet I regret saying that by the end of the day. We begin DTP (desktop publishing) which is something I kind of enjoy, but having never used inDesign that all might change.

The main change since the last blog is that I am trying to proof read everything. From the post you are reading now, to a text message to a mate. It’s making me a massive nerd, but I suppose in the long run it will (hopefully) help my copy.

Sorry for building this post up with an amazingly enticing title and then just giving you what we have done… but that’s what a blog is.

Birthdays are for subbing!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Watson) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:10:00 +0000

Ok, not exactly how I had envisaged spending my birthday, but who said subbing couldn't be fun!

With cake from Keith, chocolates and a jacket-potato inspired card...and general PMA cheer- what more could a girl want!

We are on our merry way to finishing the magazine and I cant wait to see the final product. Deadlines have been set, stories subbed and pictures sourced. Now, we just have to double the amount of copy we already have!

Forgive me, I will leave it there for today. I am compensating for the rather short blog with two lovely pictures of the gang! Over and out.

Taking the Biscuit

noreply@blogger.com (charlie) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:21:00 +0000

PMA journalists were shocked to discover the disappearance of a number of their fig rolls.

Shocked journalist Khidr Suleman, 22, said: "This is unacceptable behaviour. I can't believe people do things like this and I am devastated. I'd spent my last bit of spare change on a delicious jammy dodger and now it's gone. It's been hard to DIGEST this terrible news."

The fig roles were last seen in the PMA communal kitchen and journalists are searching for crumbs (Evidence - surely Ed).

Met Police Detective Inspector Knacker told PMA: "For God's sake, stop ringing me otherwise I will charge you with wasting police time."

Lois Lane has a new hobbie!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Gone Fishing!

Please contact my secretaries - Miss Flying Wosit or Miss Keithfish on the lobster phone or by re-nose email.

Many thanks

Over and out

F xx