Mail looking for trainee journalists

The Daily Mail group is once again recruiting trainee journalists. Since 2003 I have been training sub-editors for the paper and since 2007 I have been training reporters. Two years ago we started a course for online journalists. This year’s intake included five trainees from America. They are now on regional placements and will return to Kensington after Christmas. Eventually they will head back to the Mail’s New York office. 

Many graduates of the courses are now seniors at the Mail. These include deputy sports editor Alex Kay, assistant news-editor Katherine Faulkner, assistant night editor Lara King, commissioning editor Ailsa Leslie, sports chief sub Phil Gradwell, assistant editor of Good Health Jennie Agg, defence reporter Larisa Brown, political reporter John Stevens and financial journalist Peter Campbell. Some ex-trainees are now working for MailOnline in New York. A few who finished their training and moved on have done well elsewhere. Fay Schlesinger is home editor of The Times and Peter Dominiczak is political editor of the Telegraph. The trainees are also regularly shortlisted in the Press Awards.They include Simon Murphy, Katherine Faulkner, George Arbuthnott and Matt Sandy, who won the young journalist award outright. The Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline are, as you would expect, littered with the bylines of former trainees. 

This year's reporting and online trainees at Derry Street

The training is a real investment by DMGT. The successful applicants spend weeks training in the Mail’s London offices or PA's Yorkshire HQ in Howden. The reporting trainees have two weeks in London, the subs four weeks in Howden and the online trainees, who have to report and edit, do the full six weeks. They are then placed at regional newspapers and agencies before returning to the Mail in London the following year. 

This year's subbing trainees, with me, at PA's Manor in Howden

The training will begin in September 2015 so is suitable for those graduating this academic year. The absolute deadline for applications is January 30 - but we would appreciate it if you could apply well before then. If you are interested, send a covering letter, your CV and six examples of your work to Sue Ryan at sue.ryan@dailymail.co.uk. Details are also on Hold The Front Page. If you are applying you might want to take a look at my advice on how to prepare for an interview. Good luck.

Tom wins Champagne in final news quiz

Saying farewell to Howden. Mail trainees (left to right): Steph Linning, Rachael Day, Tom Leece, Samantha Sharman, Jenny Ryan (speaker), Lizzie Palmer, Lottie Young (speaker), Matt Lambert, Holly Stevenson and Emma Craig

The Daily Mail subbing trainees finish their four-week training stint at the Manor in Howden today and are heading off to their placements. They are going to Mail Plus, the Scottish Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, the Manchester Evening News, the Hull Daily Mail and the Western Morning News. We had an intensive final week with visits by Sue Ryan, Mike Watson, Andy Gregory from Mail Plus and senior subs Jenny Ryan and Lottie Young. It was great to see Lottie, who was a trainee on the course only two years ago, back in Howden in a senior capacity. 

Daily Telegraph trainees (from left) Mehreen Khan, Raz Akkoc, Darshan Sanghrajka (trainer), Laurence Dodds, Camilla Turner, Oliver Duggan and Greg Walton

The Daily Telegraph trainees had sessions with Paul Bradshaw, Darshan Sanghrajka and me. They have gone to Newcastle Crown Court today, so we did the news quiz slightly early. The overall winner this week was the Mail's Holly Stevenson with 18 followed closely by Steph Linning with 17. The overall course winner for the Mail, though, was Tom Leece with an average score of just over 15 for the four weeks. 

Tom celebrates with the Champagne

Tom was presented with a bottle of vintage Champagne. The highest scoring Telegraph trainee this week was Oliver Duggan with 13. See if you can beat Holly's impressive score. There are 22 questions, with three bonus questions, so a possible score of 25.

1. All 120,000 Glastonbury festival tickets were sold out in 87 minutes. How much did each ticket cost?
2. How much in expenses did former defence secretary Liam Fox claim for driving 0.6 miles in his constituency?
3. In the Cabinet reshuffle Don Foster became the new Liberal Democrat Chief Whip. Who did he replace? Bonus Fiona-Natasha Syms tweeted about the sacking of her ex-husband as chief whip. She wrote: "He was utterly gracious and took it like a man, I am ______ _______." What are the missing two words?
4. Why was Janet Yellen in the headlines?
5. According to the Environment Secretary, the reason that the badger cull was behind schedule was that the badgers had 'moved the goalposts'. Who is the Environment Secretary?
6. According to Business Secretary Vince Cable, by the midnight deadline on Tuesday, how many individual applications had there been for Royal Mail shares?
7. The rape of Anna Bates in Downton Abbey caused the Countess of Carnarvon to say she would like to watch 'nice things' on television. The Countess owns the castle where Downton is set. What is it called?
Bonus name the actor who played the valet who perpetrated the rape?
8. Students at which university where entertained in their accommodation by rapper Coolio who cooked peach crumble and sang Gangsta Rap for them.
9. On what date will the Christening of Prince George be held?
Bonus the Royal Mint is striking nine coins to celebrate the Christening. The most expensive, the gold Kilo coin, will set you back £50,000. But what is the cost of the cheapest?
10. Newcastle-born Peter Higgs and Francois Englert from Belgium shared the Nobel prize for what?
11. Harry Redknapp's autobiography Always Managing was ghost written by which journalist?
12. The production of which car will end in 2015 as it has fallen foul of European laws on fuel emissions?
13. Instead of promising 'to do my duty to God', the Scouts will in future be able to choose to uphold what?
14. The cost of producing what rose by 33 per cent in the past year?
15. Author Victoria Hislop expressed anger over which label?
16. There have been many backgrounders on Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger written this week, including information about his musical ability. Which two instruments does he play? Half point for each.
17. At which airport did Easyjet leave 29 passengers at the boarding gate?
18. What is the name of the think-tank that persuaded EDL leader Tommy Robinson to quit his post?
19. The IMF has forecast that Britain's economy will increase at what rate this year?
20. Great grandfather John Wildey, who has no pilot's experience, landed a plane at which airport?
21. Paul McCartney was in the news for sacking his staff on the Mull of Kintyre and for releasing his 16th solo album, which is titled New. How old is Paul McCartney?
22. According to researchers writing in Chemistry World, who examined 57 drinks, which drink is the most effective hangover cure?

Answers here.

The news quiz. Raz's impressive 19 to beat

The Daily Mail subbing trainees had a break from me this week and spent their time learning about features with Fiona Webster and about Photoshop and InDesign with Mike Brough. The Daily Telegraph trainees were honing their writing skills with Paul Jones and doing intensive media law with David Banks. Today they finished with the news quiz. Congratulations to the Telegraph's Raz Akkoc who scored a very impressive 19 out of 23. Last week's winner Mehreen Khan came second with 18. Top scoring Mail trainee was Tom Leece with 16.5. A very high scoring week. Was it because the quiz was easier - or because the trainees are reading the paper in more detail? I'd like to think it's the latter. See if you can beat 19 ... a tough call.

Yvette Cooper addresses the Labour conference (Q2). Pic by PA

1. Why was Natalie Faye Webb in the headlines?
2. At the Labour party conference Ed Miliband said he would freeze energy bills, causing which company to immediately say it would quit the UK as it would 'not be economically viable to continue'?
For a bonus, Yvette Cooper said a Labour government would have a 'zero tolerance' to domestic violence. What is Cooper's position in the Shadow Cabinet?
3. Angela Merkel swept to a third term as German Chancellor - what is the name of her party? (in English)
4. The first Premier League managerial casualty of the season was sacked after only five games. Who was he?
5. The responsibility for the attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi was claimed by a group, part of the Al Qaeda network, based in neighbouring Somalia. What is its name?
For a bonus, the son of the former Kenyan security minister has told how he led an American family and others to safety in the Mall. What is his name?
6. Spin doctor Damian McBride's has revealed the inner workings of Gordon Brown's time in Government but what is the full name of his book?
For a bonus, McBride's publisher Iain Dale was videoed scrapping with a man on Brighton sea front. What was the man protesting about?
7. Jeff Daniels won best actor at the Emmys for his role in which television drama?
8. The Queen was pictured sitting with John Key, the New Zealand prime minister, in a cluttered living room with photo frames, toy dogs and an electric heater. Where was the picture taken?
9. Heston Blumenthal was awarded another Michelin Guide star, bringing his total to how many?
10. Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine revealed her husband declined to appear on Desert Island Discs because he couldn't decide which Richard Wagner work to choose. Who is Sarah Vine's husband?
11. Daily Telegraph columnist Fraser Nelson also edits which magazine?
12. Stephen Lee has been banned for match fixing by the World Professional Billards and Snooker Association. How long is his ban?
13. What temperature did BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood forecast (wrongly) that it was going to be in Norwich on Wednesday?
14. Shoppers will soon be able to order goods from eBay and pick them up from where?
15. Usain Bolt has signed an extended £6million a year contract with which company?
16. Blackberry has agreed to be sold for £3billion to a consortium led by which company?
17. The America's Cup saw one of the most remarkable sporting comebacks of all time, with America beating New Zealand 9-8 after being 8-1 down. Where was the race held?
18. A new James Bond novel, written by William Boyd, was published this week. What is it called?
19. Who was photographed wearing 'a £245 Bassey Jacquard floral print dress and LK Bennett shoes'?
20. Former teacher Victoria Meppen-Walter committed suicide, blaming a doctor for leaving her scarred and in agony. What was the name of the renowned clinic were the operation took place.

Answers here.

Trainee Jim gets splash in first week

Well done to Jim Norton for today's Scottish Daily Mail splash. Jim is a trainee who was on the reporting course in Derry Street last week. This week he has a Page 1 byline. It's rewarding to see the trainees making a difference so soon ... and great to see the Mail giving them the opportunity. First of many.

A breakdown of a sub-editor's day

I have been training subs for the Daily Mail this week - so this piece on what subs actually do, by Andy Bodle in The Guardian, was timely as well as being a good read. As he says, it's a good excuse to run some funny cock-ups. I gave my trainees a detailed job description for subs but have never thought about dividing the average day into percentages before. Andy reckons this is how he spends his time at the newspaper coalface:

Cutting copy 40%
Rewriting 25%
Headlines, captions, standfirsts etc 14%
Punctuation 3%
Fact checking 3%
Spell checking 2%
Grammar checking 2%
Style 2%
Removing inconsistencies and tautologies 2%
Styling the text 2%
Legals 1%
Converting measurements, temperatures etc 1%
Making tenses consistent 1%
Removing cliches 1%
Bad line breaks, widows etc 1%

Difficult to argue with that. Of course Andy is talking about subbing on a national newspaper. On a regional the subs also take responsibility for the page layout, page-finishing, proof-reading and, in many cases, the web. It's more than 20 years since I have chief-subbed a paper so I am ill equipped to say how regional or local paper subs divide their time. But if anyone sitting in a hub or on a local subs desk fancies breaking down their day, let me know. If you can find the time of course.

News quiz is back: Stephen's 14 to beat

I have had an enjoyable week with the new intake of Daily Mail reporting trainees in Northcliffe House, Kensington, this week. They have been finding stories, having their work analysed in detail and learning the tricks of the trade from experienced hands such as Sue Ryan, Christian Gysin, David Williams, John Wellington, Ben Taylor, Alex Bannister and Peter Campbell. Today they are doing interviews for a feature so we did the news quiz a little early. The quiz is a bit of fun at the end of an intense week but is also designed to ensure the trainees are reading the papers in detail - and not just skimming. This week's scratchcard was won by Stephen Johns who scored a commendable 14 out of 22. See if you can do any better ...

Sir David Frost (See Q15)
Picture courtesy of the Press Association

1. In which city is this year's G20 summit taking place?
And, for a bonus point, what is the name of the building where it is being held? 
2. Why was Sophie Hannah in the news?
3. Scarlett Johansson was on the red carpet in Venice at the premiere of her new film. What is it called?
4. Wonga announced profits of £1.2 million a week. It was also revealed that 55.5 per cent of its customers are … what?
5. Tottenham Hotspur were the biggest spenders in the Premier League transfer window with £103million … but who spent the least?
6. Who is leaving Match of the Day after 22 years?
7. Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell is denying charges of rape at which court?
8. The Universal Credit plan has been branded unrealistic by the National Audit Office - leading to criticism of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Who is the secretary of State for Work and Pensions?
9. The Government announced that four prisons are to be closed by next March. They include Dorchester, Blundeston and Northallerton. Which is the fourth?
10. Who announced that they will retire at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics?
11. Which comedian left only £8,000 when he died earlier this year?
12. Sarah Sands edits which newspaper?
13. Name the male actor who will play the character Christian Gayle in 50 Shades of Grey.
14. At which prestigious venue did the GQ Men of the Year awards take place?
15. Sir David Frost died at the weekend on the Queen Elizabeth that had set sail from Southampton. To which city was it headed?
And, for a bonus point, how old was Sir David?
16. Why was Richard Markham in the news?
17. Give the full name of the President of Syria.
18.  Deborah Manger caused a stir this week in the Great British Bake Off. Why?
19. Name the two teaching unions who are planning to strike in October (half point each).
20. Which company has launched the first smart watch - which is both a phone and a camera?

Answers here 

This week's newsquiz. Can you beat Ben's 15?

The Daily Mail trainee reporters all went off to their placements this week. I spent my time at the Press Association's Training's Manor in Howden with the trainee subs. We had an intensive week dealing with the nitty gritty of subbing, lots of pronouns, style points and writing publishable headlines - so we all needed a couple of drinks in the Wellington along the way. The Daily Telegraph trainees, also in the Manor, were with Paul Jones, David Banks, Tony Johnston and the paper's assistant editor Richard Preston. Yesterday both groups got together for the usual end of week quiz ... and the competition between the papers was certainly healthy. The Telegraph's Ben Riley-Smith won it with 15 points, closely followed by the Mail's Lauren York on 14.5 and Rhiannon Williams with 14. The quiz got a nice mention by Roy Greenslade in his Guardian blog last week. It's worth looking at, not least for the comments. Apparently the quiz is to blame for the country's economy being on the rocks. Wow ... I never knew it was so influential. Anyway, Roy managed a decent score of 13. The Mail newsdesk also had a crack and the top score was 14. So, well done trainees Lauren Davis (16) and Francesca Infante (15) who both did better. This week there are three bonuses, so a possible 23 points. I thought it was much easier than usual ... but not everyone agreed. See how you get on.

Dodgy dress? Question 9. Picture by PA

1. At which school did Jeremy Forrest teach maths to Megan Stammers?
2. According to Policy Exchange, how much does it cost each day to tag an offender?
3. According to a survey of 3,000 British consumers, Apple is now the coolest brand in the UK. Which brand did it knock off the top spot?
4. Which British actor won the 'best actor' at the Emmys?
5. The Queen has bought a set of prints of herself by which artist?
6. According to the census, which British seaside resort has the most people over the age of 100 per head of population? 
7. David Cameron was asked, on Letterman, who composed Rule Brittania and answered Elgar. What is the correct answer?
8. Who is the MP for Sutton Coldfield?
9. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a dress she thought had been made on the island where she was attending a function. It had, in fact, been made on another island. Name both islands.
10. Which British newspaper is known as the Thunderer and runs a column of that name?
11. Justin Lee Collins is facing charges of harassment at which court?
12. The makers of the popular game Angry Birds have launched a new game. What is it called?
13. Who asked the question 'why don't aeroplane windows open?'
14. Which racing team will Lewis Hamilton be driving for next season?
15. LIBOR was in the news again. What does it stand for?
16. Whose press conference was cancelled when only one journalist turned up?
17. Name the Chicago golf course where the Ryder Cup is being played.
18. What's the name of J.K. Rowling's first adult novel? For a bonus point, name the publisher.
19. York was badly hit by the floods. Which river runs through the middle of the city?
20. Abu Hamza lost his appeal against extradition in the European Court of Human Rights. In which city is the court based? For a bonus, which BBC reporter inadvertently revealed the Queen's concerns about Abu Hamza?

Answers here

The strange case of the cutting-edge valise

The Mail trainee subs had a good afternoon with executive night editor Andy Gregory. Andy, once a Northern Echo colleague, gave a real insight into the way the Mail subs desk operates. He also touched on elegant variations. The phrase was coined by Fowler in his Dictionary of Modern English Usage, to refer to unnecessary synonyms. Fowler said: "It is the second-rate writers, those intent rather on expressing themselves prettily than on conveying their meaning clearly and still more those whose notions of style are based on a few misleading rules of thumb, that are chiefly open to the allurements of elegant variation. The fatal influence is the advice given to young writers never to use the same word twice in a sentence or within 20 lines or other limit."
Newspaper subs regularly encounter writers who don't like to use the same word twice, so seek elegant (or as the Americans call them, inelegant) variations. Some subs desks refer to them as povs, which stands for popular orange vegetable, a phrase supposedly edited out of an article about carrots. I have a story about a cow causing chaos on a motorway which I often give to trainee subs as an exercise. It is fascinating to watch the cow change into an animal, a beast and finally into a farmyard creature. In Andy's 30 years of subbing he has been collecting the examples that have crossed his desk at both the Express and the Mail. 
He shared some with the trainees today. See if you can work out what they are:
The popular fish-eating mammal
The tin-legged flying ace
Single-lens accessory
Love-it or loathe-it condiment
One of the world's best-loved insects
Red leather orb
Tasty bread-based snacks
The cutting-edge valise
Fantastic. They would make a great stocking-filler book. The answers are below. If you have any more examples, I would be delighted to receive them.
Answers: Otter; Douglas Bader; monocle; Marmite; bee; cricket ball; sandwiches; suitcase on wheels.
    

Have a crack at the newsquiz - 17.5 to beat

In Howden again this week and, apart from doing headlines, layout and design with the Telegraph trainees, I found myself refereeing a game of football in the park and in the dark. It was a competitive match with tackles flying in. The Daily Mail, with two sports trainees, were determined not to lose to the 'broadsheet lot'. And so it proved ... the Mail (plus international guest) beat the Telegraph (plus international guests) 5-3. Despite some robust challenges there were no major injuries, just a ball in the face for one of the girls and lots of aches and bruises the next day. As the Telegraph trainees are off to the law courts in Newcastle tomorrow, we had to do the quiz earlier this week. It was the highest scoring week so far with the Telegraph's Jess Winch edging it with 17.5 and three others (Jenny O'Mahony from the Telegraph and Lottie Young and Tom Clarke from the Mail) all on 17. Is it easier this week or is it, as I prefer to believe, that everyone is paying closer attention to the detail in the news stories?  
There are a possible 21 points. See how you get on:

1. Who said: "You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new."?

2 Why was Maya in the news?

3.  Which country has introduced a 'fat tax'?

4. Jessie J won four categories at the MOBO awards. What does MOBO stand for?

5.  How much is a dog licence?

6. The London based Irish Post will be back on the streets after being bought by Elgin Loane. Loane owns which other publication - which he bought from the Daily Mail and General Trust last year?

7. Soham killer Ian Huntley was attacked in prison. Give the name of the prison and the city in which it is based (half a point for each).

8. Portsmouth Pub landlady Karen Murphy won a European Court of Justice ruling that allows her to air Premier League football without subscribing to Sky. What is the name of her pub?

9. Amanda Knox is now back at home in which American city?

10. The Daily Mail and Sun online were among those who wrongly published that Knox had been found guilty of murder. The confusion apparently arose as Knox was found guilty of another charge. What was that charge?

11. Charlie Gilmour says he didn't realise he was swinging from what?

12. Which singer has been forced to cancel a US tour due to illness

13. Why was Jessica Palmer in the headlines?

14. The Defence Secretary has been accused of putting national security as risk by allowing a former flatmate access to the MoD. Who is the Defence Secretary?

15. The Great British Bake Off - the TV series which has become a big hit for BBC 2 - caused a stir by showing an explicit picture of what?

16. If England beat France in Saturday's Rugby World Cup quarter final they will meet the winners of Quarter Final One in the next round. Name the two teams (that they might meet in the semi-final). Half a point for each team.

17. Who, according to the Palestinian leadership, has 'become of no use at all'?

18. What do Israeli Professor Daniel Shechtman, Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer and US physicist Saul Perlmutter have in common?

19. Michael Le Vell has been arrested on suspicion of a sexual offence involving a young girl. What is the name of the character he plays in Coronation Street?

20. Boris Johnson impressed many journalists with his performance at the Conservative Party conference and on Newsnight this week. Johnson is, of course, a journalist himself but which magazine did he edit from 1999-2005?

And for a bonus point, which magazine does his younger sister, Rachel Johnson, edit?
Answers are here.

Tom wins this week's newsquiz - 15 to beat

Another good week for the Mail and Telegraph trainee journalists in Howden. Trainers this week included Mike Brough, Brian Page, Andrew Glover, Chris Gregory and Lindsay Hodgkinson from the Mail legal department. As usual we finished with the newsquiz. Congratulations to Telegraph trainee Tom Rowley who is this week's winner with a very impressive 16 points out of 21. Question 21 was a local one that only the trainees would know, so I have only included 20 here. If you get 15, it would be impressive. 

Ed Balls and Andy Burnham line up a free kick against the lobby journalists - but what was the final score (Q4). Pic from TheFA.com

1. Which city hosted the last bullfight in the Catalan area of Spain?

2. Yvette Cooper's conference speech impressed many (including the Daily Mail's Quentin Letts).  What is her position in the Shadow Cabinet?

3. Yvette Cooper's husband Ed Balls led his Labour Party team at the annual Labour Conference game versus the lobby journalists at Liverpool Soccer Centre. What was the score?

4. It's the turn of the Conservatives to hold their party conference next week. In which city?

5. What is the name of Michael Jackson' personal physician who is on trial accused of killing the star with an overdose?

6. England and Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand lost his High Court privacy action against which newspaper?

7. The Communities Secretary has announced a £250m fund to ensure local councils restore weekly bin collections. Who is the Communities Secretary?

8.  A miner died at Kellingley colliery near which North Yorkshire village?

9. Who did Alan Graham tell to cover-up?

10. Which Premiership footballer has been suspended by his club while allegations of sexual assault and drugs possession are investigated?

11.Which TV programme is celebrating its 50th birthday?

12. The Government is proposing to to increase the speed limit from 70mph to 80mph. When did it increase from 60 to 70mph (1pt if you get it spot on and half a point if you are one year out)

13. An inquest was told that 17-year-old schoolgirl Grace Ford fell to her death from a window after trying to climb into a hotel room in which resort?

14. Which country was denounced by the UN Security Council for "the continued grave and systematic human rights violations" by its authorities?

15. Why was Michael Cohen in the headlines?

16. Who is the outgoing chair of the Press Complaints Commission?

17. Mark Bradford allegedly throttled a 13-year-old boy after being beaten by him in an online PlayStation game. What was the game?

18. Christine Hemming, on trial for burglary, claimed in court this week that her MP husband had been unfaithful at least how many times?  

19. The creator of the television comedy Dad's Army died this week. What was his name?

20. According to researchers from the University of California, doing what means you are trustworthy?

How did you do? Check the answers here.

This week's news quiz - let's hear it for the girls

Howden has been buzzing this week with three separate courses running at the Manor. Press Association Training is entertaining a group of international journalists for the next 13 weeks. At the same time the Daily Mail subbing diploma began, with eight wannabe sub-editors spending five weeks learning how to sub, write headlines and draw pages to national newspaper standards. The Daily Telegraph also has seven trainees on a seven-week course. It means that there are 27 students in the Manor as well as a steady stream of trainers and speakers, including Linda Christmas, David Banks, Paul Jones, Mike Watson, Tony Johnston and the Telegraph's Richard Preston. Over the next few weeks there will be sessions my many other big-hitters including guest speakers from the Mail and Telegraph.
As usual we finished with the newsquiz to ensure all are reading the papers properly. This week's joint winners are the Mail's Lottie Young and the Telegraph's Jennifer O'Mahony with 11.5pts out of 21. They narrowly beat the Mail's Kirsty McEwen and the Telegraph's Jess Winch who both got 11. No men in the top four! See how you do - although I will be astonished if you can answer question 20. 

1. Why is it the end of the world as they know it for Michael Stipe and Pete Buck?

2. The Liberal Democrat party conference was held in Birmingham this week. Next week it's the turn of the Labour Party - but in which city will its conference be held?

3. Nick Clegg sported a sombre grey suit for his speech but his wife wore a bright yellow Topshop dress. What is his wife's full name? (three names needed for 1pt, 2 names gain half a point)

4. Why were Lesley Norris and Bruce Scott in the headlines?

5. Kate Winslett gave a gushing speech at the Emmys after she won the leading actress award. But who won best supporting actress?

6. Where was a cage fight between two boys held? For a bonus point, the Culture Secretary described it as very barbaric. Who is the Culture Secretary? (1pt for each answer)

7.  Troy Davies was executed in which US state?

8.  Why was Vincent Cooke in the headlines?

9. Former newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah was arrested over under-age sex allegations.  Which national newspaper did he launch?

10.  Johnny Vegas has recreated a famous Demi Moore pose - in which magazine did the original photograph appear?

11.  Which football club closed its doors to men and had women and children only in attendance?

12.  Geri Helliwell graced the pages wearing what looked like a wedding dress. She was attending a gala event for which charitable foundation?

13. Conjoined twins Rital and Ritag Gaboura were successfully separated by surgeons at which hospital?

14. The unfinished portrait, called Portrait of the Hound 2011, is to go on public display next spring? Who is the artist?

15. The FTSE 100 plunged by 4.7pc on Thursday, the biggest drop in 30 months. What does FTSE stand for?

16. Diplomats walked out of the UN General Assembly during a speech by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He is president of which country?

17. Which newspaper carries the slogan The World's Greatest Newspaper on its front page?

18. Simon Day died of a heroin overdose an inquest heard. Who was his grandfather?

19. The mayor of which city has rejected an electric car in favour of a Jaguar?

20. What is the name of the hairdresser's salon on the corner in Howden, the last shop before the entrance to the Manor?

How did you do? Check the answers here.

Rosie wins the Mail news quiz

The Daily Mail trainees have finished their two weeks at Derry Street and are now off to placements at the Standard, the Mail in Scotland, Liverpool Echo, Yorkshire Post and Manchester Evening News. This week they had fascinating practical sessions on investigative and foreign reporting by chief reporter David Williams and Christian Gysin, an interesting insight into the celebrity world from Katie Nicholl, a do's and don'ts talk from sub Jayme Bryla and a glimpse of what their first year is likely to hold by one of last year's trainees, Peter Campbell. There was a good night with trainees old and new in the Builders Arms last night. Today we finished again with a quiz of the week (just to get them into the habit of the reading the paper's properly). Congratulations again to Rosie Taylor who got 13.5 points out of 22, once again narrowly beating Adam Shergold, to collect the scratch card and a bottle of wine. Try your hand and see if you can beat Rosie's total. 

Mail trainees with quiz winner Rosie Taylor (with the wine)

There are a possible 22 points this week as questions 4 and 13 have two points each.

1.  Who won Celebrity Big Brother?

2.  A controversial book has claimed that Sarah Palin had an affair and used cocaine. What is the name of the book?

3.  Unison has named which date as a day of action?

4.  The new Westfield shopping complex has been given its own postcode, what is it? And for a bonus where has the code been previously used?

5.  Who has been named as the new captain in England's Twenty20 games?

6.  Sophie Dahl launched an appeal to raise money to renovate her Grandfather's shed where he wrote many of his famous novels.  How old would he have been this week?

7.  David Tebbutt was murdered on holiday in a paradise location on Kenya.  He was a finance director for which company?

8.  Who did Bernard Hogan-Howe replace this week as Metropolitan Police Commissioner?

9. Where is the Greenacres travellers site that police believe men were held as slaves?

10.  According to official figures what is the current number of unemployed in the UK?

11. According to research by Roehampton University what should you do if you want to be happier, healthier and slimmer?

12. Why was Katherine Goldberg in the headlines?

13. Two Tory peers were released from prison this week after serving only a quarter of their sentences for expenses fraud. Name them. (One point for each).

14. Journalist Adam Macqueen has a book published this month celebrating 50 years of which publication?

15. What is the name of the Swansea Valley colliery where four miners are trapped?

16. Kweku Adoboli is accused of losing £1.3bn while rogue trading. Which Swiss bank was he working for?

17. Helle Thorning-Schmidt became Denmark's first female MP. Who is her father-in-law?

18. The film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy opened in UK cinemas this week. Who plays the role of spy George Smiley?

19. Political leadership in Washington and Western Europe has suffered "paralysis" in the face of the financial crisis,  Kenneth Clarke said this week. What is Clarke's Cabinet position?

20. Now that the News of the World has gone, which is Britain's biggest selling Sunday newspaper?

How did you do? The answers are here

Test your news knowledge in this week's quiz

I spent this week in the company of bright trainee journalists on the Mail diploma at Northcliffe House in Kensington. It's been a good week - writing stories, looking at the papers in detail and we have had a stream of doyens including columnist Quentin Letts, head of news Neil Darbyshire, city editor Alex Brummer and managing editor Alex Bannister offering advice. At the same time the Daily Telegraph diploma is being held in Howden, East Yorkshire, and I will be joining them next month. The Mail sub-editing course starts in Howden on September 19, so I will be up there for that too. I have been involved in these courses, run by Press Association Training for eight years. As some of you may remember, at the end of each week we run a newsquiz. I will be posting the questions here each week. It's a bit of fun but the serious side is to ensure the trainees get into the habit of reading the newspapers in detail, rather than just as scanning the headlines. A scratch card went to Rosie Taylor from the Mail who was top this week with 12.5 points out of 20. She narrowly pipped Adam Shergold with 12. But although the Mail had the highest scorer, the Daily Telegraph had the best average. I am expecting improvement all round next week. Try it - no cheating - and see if you can beat Rosie's 12.5.

George Osborne (Question 7) with Christine Lagarde (Question 13)

1. What will not restart as soon as it has finished?

2.  Rebecca Leighton was released without charge after six weeks in custody.  At which hospital does she work?

3.  P J Harvey won this week's Mercury Award - what do the initial stand for? (Half point for each correct name).

4. How many Free Schools are opening this year?

5.  Who came face to face with a toad?

6.  Who is the oldest contestant in this year's Strictly Come Dancing line-up?

7.  George Osborne used which inappropriate word in a joke he told at the GQ awards?

8.  A vet is someone who looks after your pet - but spell the word that it is short for.

9.  The Rugby World Cup starts this weekend. Who are are the overwhelming favourites to win it?

10.  Which will be the first place where you will have to include the area dialing code instead of just the six digit number when making a local call?

11. Who is the editor of The Times? (Half point if you only get the surname; nothing if you get only the first name)

12. Name the Red or Black winner who caused a stir when it was revealed that he beat up his lover.

13. What does Christine Lagarde head up?

14. Which council paid £2,475 to hire security guards to protect members at a town hall - but only ten protestors turned up?

15. The Attorney General said there was a big question mark over allowing cameras into court. Who is the Attorney General?

16. Who are Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and what happened to them this week (Half point for each answer).

17. Why did Rowan Atkinson say he would probably never play the part of Mr Bean again?

18. Stuart Bell was branded Britain's laziest MP after not holding a surgery for 14 years. What is his constituency?

19. Who was laid low with Thames Tummy?

20. What happened to 23-year-old Jeni Anderson this week?

How did you do? The answers are here