Opportunities to train in Community Journalism
We are training the next generation of community journalists, the future of local journalism.
Social Streets C.I.C. provides practical courses, internships and mentoring in community journalism.
Community journalism tells stories that aren’t covered by mainstream media, combatting news deserts and ensuring a more representative and inclusive media. Community outreach is a crucial element of community journalism; journalists are required to engage with people in specific and hard-to-reach communities to curate, collate and create content relevant to them. In community journalism, there is a focus on producing content for multiple platforms in order to reach a diverse demographic of readers.
This form of journalism is constructive, working for the benefit of the community, not at its expense. Constructive journalism is a response to the increasing tabloidization, sensationalism, and negativity bias of the news media today. It is an approach that aims to provide audiences with a fair, accurate, and contextualised picture of the world, without overemphasizing the negative and what is going wrong.
Cross-culture communication skills are essential to help journalists overcome bias in their reporting and produce journalism that is more representative, diverse and trusted.
Students of our Practical Course in Community Journalism benefit from our unique curriculum, developed over years of real-world experience. They will have the opportunity to develop their skills in a real-world environment, finding stories in their assigned patch, and publishing assignments directly to our online publications Roman Road LDN, Poplar LDN, Bethnal Green LDN, Whitechapel LDN, live social media platforms, and our overarching print publication The Slice Tower Hamlets. We provide practical, hands-on learning in small groups over an extended time, giving journalists the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally.
Social Streets C.I.C offers training opportunities including internships, courses, and schemes for every level, from interns and recent graduates to professionally trained journalists. We prioritise those who live in Tower Hamlets, supporting the local economy and providing opportunities to young people who would not otherwise consider a career in media.
Academic Placement
Two to four-week placements for young people in education, from GCSE students to postgraduates completing work experience as part of their studies. We have taken students from local secondary schools including Morpeth, Mulberry UTC, and Bishop Challenor as well as media undergraduates and postgraduates from the UK’s leading journalism BA and MA courses.
Internships
Looking for a practical internship that offers hands-on experience in research, writing, interviewing, social media management and SEO? Our highly-respected internship placements provide practical learning in a supportive environment for emerging journalists. We have close ties with City University, Goldsmiths, and Cardiff University.
Foundation Course in Community Journalism (News & reviews)
This 9-week course is the first part of our Community Journalism Course and is for people who already have some writing skills but who want to learn the specific skills needed to source, pitch, produce, and edit stories about the local community. The course will cover the principles of constructive journalism and cross-cultural reporting and will focus on news writing, interviewing, and review writing. Students receive a weekly two-hour workshop and detailed feedback on their work. Four places are awarded to Contributing Students who will have their content published on the relevant area titles.
Further Course in Community Journalism (Long form & multimedia)
This 9-week course is the second part of our Community Journalism Course and will give emerging journalists the skills they need to run an online news outlet including multi-platform publishing, content strategy and SEO, and social media management. Students progress to commissioning, editing, and writing more challenging long-form articles. Students receive a two-hour workshop and one-to-one mentoring session every week. Four places are awarded to Contributing Students who manage one of our sister titles in the role of Deputy Editor (Trainee). Open to students who want to work on an external publications too.
Writer in Residence (Series & Investigative)
If you’ve been through one of our training schemes then you can apply to our six-month Writer in Residence programme to consolidate what you have learned and develop a series of six in-depth articles. With detailed feedback on each piece, this scheme will refine your long-form writing and help develop your niche in journalism, including investigative. A monthly stipend of £100 is provided.
Digital Editor Trainee Scheme (Editorship)
Are you an early-career journalist who wants to fast-track your career in journalism? This 15-month intensive programme as a full-time PAYE employee with Social Streets C.I.C will provide the responsibility and experience you need to deepen your journalism skills and run every aspect of a digital publication including content strategy, commissioning, editing, team management, data analytics, and reporting. Start as an intern and leave as Editor. Candidates will need to have an MA in journalism or equivalent real-life skills.