Mark Austin to speak at BU. ITN

Mark Austin to speak at BU. ITN

SOME of the biggest names in journalism will be gathering at Bournemouth University for the annual NCTJ Journalism Skills conference later this month.

The conference on November 27-28 will see delegates debate good practice, exchange ideas and discuss key issues in the industry.

And BU students will be filming, blogging and tweeting the action.

The conference will kick-off with a session on Journalism and the Digital Landscape, inspired by the latest findings on the state of the creative industries. The panel will comprise Pete Clifton from Microsoft, Peter Bale, CNN and Liisa Rohumaa, formerly at ft.com and now a senior practice fellow at Bournemouth University.

Changing business models and the impact on skills of economic constraints will also be debated by a panel of regional news editors: Tom Thomson from Herald and

Tribune Group, Bournemouth Echo Deputy Editor Andy Martin and Frank le Duc, who will give the perspective from local TV, as well as input from the Huffington Post.

The first day will conclude with an awards dinner at the art deco Print Room in Bournemouth where the host will be ITV news anchor Mark Austin (right), who started his career at the Bournemouth Echo.

Day two will look ahead to ways the industry can lead and direct the shape of journalism education with contributions from Ian Murray, president of the Society of Editors and editor in chief at the Southampton Daily Echo, and BU former practitioner in residence, Jake Wallis Simons, features writer at the Sunday Telegraph.

The conference will close with a debate about the key issue of ethics and how we train responsible professionals, with speakers from The Guardian (Sandra Laville, crime correspondent), CNN’s digital business desk (Ollie Joy) and the BBC College of Journalism (Andrew Wilson).

Dr Karen Fowler-Watt, associate dean of journalism and communication at Bournemouth University, said: “It is always good to get together, to share ideas and reflect on what we do - but never has it been more important to do so than now, when the pace of change has quickened and the challenges are more diverse.” She added: “The appetite amongst young people to train as journalists shows no sign of dwindling – we hope the conference will give the profession a glowing health check and a boost of confidence for the post-Leveson era.”