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.

Final Newsquiz: Ollie wins the Champagne

The trainees outside the Manor at Howden. From left: Alex Finnis, Jack Crone, Tom Burrows, Jennny Awford, Kieran Gill, Charlie Scott, Ollie Gillman, Olly Todd, Jen Smith, Melanie Sisson, Chris Waugh, Khaleda Rahman and Aby Dunsby 

The Daily Mail trainees have now completed their training and are heading off to their regional newspaper placements. This week they had three days in Howden with me and a visit on Tuesday by Andy Gregory, deputy editor of Mail Plus. At the end of the week they had a fascinating two days in the Mail offices in Kensington. On Thursday there were sessions with the legal team Lindsay Warwick, Hilary Kingsley (the former Mirror columnist now turned lawyer) and Tim Ross. Chief reporter David Williams and senior reporter Christian Gysin told them inspirational stories and former trainees Kieran Corcoran, Lizzie Edmonds and Adam Shergold gave them a heads-up on what the next year will bring. Night editor Elizabeth Hammond finished off the day with a real insight into life on MailOnline. Yesterday there were high-grade sessions with publisher Martin Clarke, assistant editor Hugh Dougherty, deputy news-editor Mariana Partasides, reporter Harriet Arkell and a practical briefing by editorial manager Lucy Jones. 

Ollie celebrates winning the quiz ... and the Champagne 

We finished as always with the news quiz. This week’s top scorers were Jenny Awford and Tom Burrows with 15 points each. Well done to both. The big prize, a bottle of Champagne, went to Ollie Gillman for being the top scorer over the four weeks with 62.5 points, overtaking his closest rival Chris Waugh at the final hurdle. Well done to both. Good luck to the trainees on the next stage of their training. Stay enthusiastic, committed, accurate and, of course, charming …

Here’s the final quiz for you to test your current affairs knowledge. There are 20 questions, with five bonuses so a possible 25 points. Jenny and Tom’s 15 to beat.

An Oscars-style selfie: See question 5      

1. How much will it cost to send a first class letter when prices go up at the end of this month?

2. A Paddy Power advert was withdrawn after it became the most complained about advert of all time. What was it offering?

3. David Beckham’s aftershave, Intense Instinct, has been the top selling male celebrity fragrance since 2006 … but which celeb's fragrance has now knocked him off the top spot? 

4. The director general of the BBC has announced plans to take BBC Three to online only, who is he?

Bonus, presenter Mark Lawson is leaving Radio Four. Which programme did he host?

5. Cate Blanchett won best actress in a leading role at the Oscars. For which film?

Bonus, Ellen DeGeneres orchestrated the selfie that was the talk of the Oscars, but who took the picture?

6. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all played friendly internationals on Wednesday - and only one of them lost. Which one?

Bonus, England have recruited Steve Peters to their World Cup squad in Brazil. What will his role be?

7. Why was 13-year-old Jamie Edwards in the headlines?

8. The Ukranian flag was briefly replaced by the Russian flag over the Donetsk regional headquarters this week. What two colours are on the Ukranian flag?

Bonus, which prominent American figure compared Vladmir Putin’s actions in Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s?

9. Who did MP Robert Halfon say were ‘akin to Nazis’?

10. Whose wife has deleted her Twitter account after her family received online abuse from sci-fi fans? 

11. Why did judge Thokozile Masipa not address the jury in the Oscar Pistorious trial?

12. Which newspaper ran a correction to a story published in 1853?

13. Name two of the three finalists in the last ever Dancing on Ice (half point for one correct name).

14. Unknown singer songwriter Mollie Smitten-Downes will represent the UK in this year’s Eurovision song contest. What is the name of the song she will sing? 

15. According to research, British women spend 339 minutes a day on leisure - the second most of any Western country. But in which European country do the women relax the most?

16. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said he did not have the power to bring back what ‘fundamental right’?

17. Rebekah Brooks denied in court that she was like which Dickensian character?

18. The owner of which British football club has been jailed for six years for money laundering.

19. The Metropolitan Police’s undercover unit SDS has come under fire over allegations that it routinely lied to the courts. What does SDS stand for?

Bonus, the review of the SDS by Mark Ellison, QC, may now be referred to the Attorney General. Who is the Attorney General? 

20. What did Maj General James Cowan, who has led British forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, ban from the officers' mess? 

Answers here. 

This week's news quiz: Ollie's 19 to beat

The Daily Mail trainees have just finished their third week at PA's training centre in Howden. They spent time with the managing director of PA Images, Martin Stephens, trainer Mike Watson, media law specialist David Banks and the Mail Plus trainees had InDesign and Photoshop training with Mike Brough. Some also submitted stories for Mail Online and Khaleda Rahman gained a byline for a story she picked up about Legoland cancelling a Muslim party after threats. You can read it here. As usual we finished with the news quiz. Well done to Ollie Gillman who scored a very high 19, narrowly beating Khaleda and Jack Crone on 18. There are a possible 24 points. See if you can do any better.

Nicolas Anelka: See question 10.

1. Police issued footage of the moment Andrew Young was killed by a single punch in a row over cycling on the pavement. In which town did this take place?
2. What was the name of the Irishman, accused of the Hyde Park bombings, whose case collapsed because of a deal during the Northern Ireland agreement?
First bonus, what year were the Hyde Park bombings? 
Second bonus, who is Northern Ireland’s First Minister, who threatened to resign over the IRA amnesty letters?
3. Rebecca Ferguson fainted while appearing live on which television programme? 
4. One Direction member Louis Tomlinson turned out for which football team?
5. Who publicly used the cliches ‘not a piece of cake,’ ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’ and ‘caught between the devil and the deep blue sea’ this week?
6. Which financial company has threatened to quit Scotland if it becomes independent?
7. What has the Law Commission recommended should become legally binding in court?
8. Patricia Hewitt said the National Council for Civil Liberties was ‘naive and wrong’  over its links with PIE. What was the last cabinet position she held?
Bonus, what is the name of the police operation now investigating PIE?
9. CNN have cancelled a show hosted by an ex-Daily Mirror editor. Name the show.
10. West Bromich Albion footballer Nicolas Anelka has received a five-game ban for using what type of gesture?
11. Why was Francesco Schettino in the headlines?
12. Where was former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg arrested this week?
13. What was the name of the tax-avoidance scheme that former BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyes allegedly used to avoid up to £1m in tax?
14. Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne is said to have had a tryst with a bra tycoon. Name her. 
15. What are Simon Cowell's Yorkshire terrier pups called? (half point for each).
16. JBS Family Butchers' window display has made the headlines. In which town is it? 
17. Gavin Grant stepped down as chief executive of which organisation?
18. Why have detectives investigating Oscar Pistorius flown to America?
Bonus, the trial of Pistorius begins next week. In which city will it be held?
19. America’s vice president telephoned the Ukraine’s new prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to say the US welcomed the formation of his government. Who is America’s vice president?
20. Who claimed to have turned down a £1m 'indecent proposal' from an Arab prince?

 Answers here. 

This week's news quiz: Chris's 18 to beat

The Mail trainees have had a testing second week in Howden. They were trained in shooting and editing video with Mark Batty, writing features with Fiona Webster and interviewing with the head of PA Training, Tony Johnston. The sports trainees had sessions with the Mail's deputy sports editor Alex Kay, MailOnline consultant sports editor Mark Alford and PA sports editor Ashley Broadley. They also covered live Europa League football at the PA operations centre. As always we rounded off the week with the news quiz. Congratulations (and a scratchcard) to Chris Waugh who scored a highly impressive 18 out of 23, just pipping Khaleda Rahman and Kieran Gill with 17. The scores were much better this week - so hopefully all will be getting 100 per cent by the end of the course. See if you can do any better than Chris's 18.

Actor Clive Mantle - question 7.
Picture courtesy of PA

1. Former policeman Eric Devouassoux was arrested in the investigation into the murder of the Al Hilli family. Near which French lake did the murders take place?
2. The High Court rejected an appeal by David Miranda that he was unlawfully held at Heathrow airport for 9 hours. Which newspaper was he working for at the time?
3. Kiev has been under siege. In which square did the main protests take place?
Bonus Why was opposition leader Vitali Klitschko famous before he became a politician?
4. Name either of the two train companies jointly voted the worst for passenger satisfaction.
5. According to the Daily Mail, police have opened an investigation into an organisation that existed in the 1970s called PIE. What did PIE stand for? 
6. Who won the British Breakthrough Act at the Brits?
Bonus Who collected David Bowie’s award for British Male wearing an outfit  originally worn on a Ziggy Stardust show in 1972?
7. Former Casualty actor Clive Mantle had part of his ear bitten off while staying at a Travelodge hotel in which city?
8. Why was Wojciech Szczesny in the sports headlines?
9. Simon Cowell became father to a baby boy … who is the baby named after?
Bonus Who is the baby’s mother?
10. Vet Scott Miller said that no dog, whatever their breed, is ever safe to be left with a child. How do you spell the word that ‘vet’ is short for?
11. Pensioner James Swinstead died on a cruise ship when storms hit the English Channel. Name the cruise ship.
12. The Justice Secretary said the decision by British judges that life sentences were not unlawful was 'timely and welcome’. Who is the Justice Secretary?   
13. Inflation fell to its lowest level in four years last month. According to the National Office for Statistics what is the current rate of inflation?
14. The British curling men’s team won a silver medal in Sochi. Who is the team’s skip?
15. The singer Prince played two back-to-back concerts at which London venue?
16. Prince Charles took part in a sword dance to celebrate the Janadriyah Festival. In which city?
17. What did Facebook buy for £11.4 billion?
18. A High Court judge rejected an £85million damages claim against which chief executive?  
19. What won the best film at this year’s Baftas?
20. Who did former PM Tony Blair tell to ’tough up' and 'take sleeping pills'?


Answers here.

The news quiz is back: Ollie's 15.5 to beat

I spent this week at PA's Howden headquarters with 13 Mail trainees. It was the first week of their training scheme that will ultimately see them working for MailOnline and MailPlus. As always, we finished with a news quiz to make sure they are reading the papers and monitoring the websites. Well done to Ollie Gillman who won the scratch card with 15.5 out of 24, just pipping Chris Waugh who scored 15. I expect higher scores in the coming weeks.
See if you can do better. There are 20 questions, with four bonuses, making a possible total of 24.

Shirley Temple: Q1

1 Shirley Temple died this week. How old was she? 

2 Why did Nguyen Ha Dong cause a flap?
3 How old is Winter Olympics bronze medal winner Jenny Jones, and which city does she come from? (Half point for each answer)
Bonus - What nationality do you have to be to get a free beer from vending machines at Sochi
4 At which zoo was a healthy giraffe put to sleep to avoid in-breeding?
Bonus - what was the name of the giraffe?
5 Chief executive Antony Jenkins announced plans for 12,000 redundancies, 7,000 of them in the UK. Name the company.
6 Thorfinn Stout filmed himself drinking a pint for his NekNominate challenge ... but where was he at the time?
7 Torville and Dean returned to Sarajevo to recreate their Olympic winning Bolero routine. Who wrote the Bolero that they perform to?
8 Suspect packages were sent to seven Army Careers offices and other military centres this week. Name three of the towns or cities where they were sent.
9 Davina McCall took part in a 500-mile challenge for Sports Relief. Which lake did she swim as part of the challenge?
10 Dave Lee Travis was found not guilty of 12 charges of indecent assault ... at which crown court
11 Which two rivers are Somerset farmers demanding be dredged?
First bonus - which engineer designed the railway line at Dawlish, recently destroyed by waves?
Second bonus - which motorway was closed due to a 15ft deep hole?
12 The immigration minister has resigned for employing an illegal immigrant as a cleaner. Name him.

13 Which European nation has voted to impose curbs on immigrants from the European Union?
14 The newspaper and magazine industry is establishing a new Press regulator to replace the PCC. What is it called?
15 Scotland's deputy first minister has accused the main UK parties of bullying tactics over independence. Who is Scotland's deputy first minister?
16 Which two teams are top of the Six Nations rugby table? (Half point for each answer)
17 In which city is David Beckham setting up a soccer team?

18 Why was Beth Whaanga in the headlines?
19 How did widow Violet Baker upset her family?
20 According to research in the British Medical Journal fewer than 20 per cent of English adults are now what?

Answers here.