Where to find advice on work experience in journalism

I had a quick roam round the web looking for some tips and thoughts on getting work experience - and making the most of it - for some journalism students I've been working with.       
    There's a note of caution on spending too long working for free, written by a press gazette intern. But short periods of unpaid work experience is still invaluable for newcomers and is a great way of getting that first break.

    Here's some of the most useful-looking links I've found. They're not brand new, but the advice is still helpful and relevant:

• The Wannabehacks site is always a useful place to start. It has list of top placements from 2011. 

• Bauer Media has a site dedicated to work experience and internships on its brands

• There's some interesting advice on Using twitter to get work experience from The Guardian

• Tips and tricks on how to impress on your work experience placemen

• This journalism.co.uk forum on work experience and opportunities for new journalists has some recent comments and other entries.

• Rhian Jones offers a blaggers’guide to getting journalism work experience.

• Plus there's a few tips from Alison Gow, from a couple of years ago that still look relevant.

My own tips are:

Clarify what titles mean by work experience.

Some titles have you just doing admin; some give you more meaty stuff to do.

Try the less well-known titles too. 

Try the big name newspapers, magazines and websites by all means, but they can be over-subscribed. Some of the smaller set-ups, including trade magazines and websites, can sometimes find you a space - and can often give you a great chance to get a byline.

Volunteer and be willing to help. 

It might sound obvious but always offer to help out and ask "is there anything else you'd like me to do?" rather than just twiddling your thumbs.

UK media regulation: Some links for journalism students

Here are a few links for a discussion session on media regulation that I used for a discussion with BA Journalism students at Solent University recently.

• The Leveson report: main recommendations

• Hunt says Leveson-compliant regulator will be in place early 2013

• Newspapers fear new regulator could attract 'ambulance-chasing' lawyers

• Public interest: definition needs to be broadened out

• Leveson debate: proposals for exemplary damages criticised

• Leveson: The Information Commissioner responds 

• Hacked Off campaign publishes own Draft media regulation bill 

Media Law videos on UK courts - useful for journalism students

The news that Supreme Court Judgements are now available on youtube led me to revisit the video of the UK's first ever televised sentencing.  

But it also had me thinking about some of the videos around the web that might be of use to journalism students who want to understand the basics about how the court system works. So here are a few quick links:

Criminal courts:

• 4min video on who’s who in magistrates’ court  from the University of Derby
• Ministry of justice video aimed at new jurors, but has good basic info about how courts work at 4mins.15 and from 7mins.45 to 11mins.45
• What types of sentence can offenders get? Video lasts 1.38. By The Sentencing Council.
• The You be the judge site has a reasonable explanation of a criminal case at crown court in case on burglary. But there are others to choose from.
• What the CPS does and what happens in court  Viewers might want to watch a short clip  from the middle of this video.

Civil cases:

• A 2.5 minute Minustry of Justice video on what happens when a county court hearing takes place in court… 
• …and one on hearings in chambers

Plus some nice old BBC newsreel-type footage on the famous Liberace libel case