Why we all need journalists who know what they are doing - the crucial role of the NCTJ in journalism training

For more than a decade I've been working with the NCTJ - the National Council for the Training of Journalists - helping ensure the next generation of reporters are trained to the highest standards.

You might ask why it matters, given the latest regional newspaper sales figures. They show that no English daily now sells more than 10,000 copies and that all continue to lose circulation month on month.

Of course, that doesn't mean local journalism is dead. 

Publishers now have huge online audiences. Newsquest, for example, reached 61 million visitors last August, with article views up 11% year‑on‑year.

But those print numbers are a warning. At their peak, local papers were trusted voices, binding communities together, holding power to account and reflecting readers’ concerns. 

Readers consumed local news in huge numbers - and trusted the work of their local paper in telling them what was going on in their patch and campaigning with them.

When I left front‑line journalism a decade ago, my evening paper sold nearly 100,000 copies a night, generating revenue that funded deep, investigative reporting.

Digital reach is vast, but the economics are different. Without the stability print once gave, local journalism risks becoming thinner, more reactive and less rooted in its patch.

That creates a gap all too often filled by polarisation, opinion and misinformation.

If we value strong communities, we must value the trusted journalism that holds them together. 

That's why the work of the NCTJ in delivering the highest quality of journalism training remains so critically important.

And why I'll continue to support them for as long as I can.