News Scotland’s annual News Academy Conference – “Investing in the future of journalism” – takes place in Glasgow tomorrow [Tuesday] at the offices of News Scotland, publishers of The Times Scotland, The Sunday Times Scotland, The Scottish Sun and The Scottish Sun on Sunday.

The conference, which is free to attend, takes place from 1pm-4.15pm. It is open to students of journalism in Scotland, for those aged 16+, with attendance currently at 150 students.

This is a significant event in developing, encouraging and mentoring future talent for journalism in Scotland.

Previewing the News Academy, Scottish Sun editor Alan Muir, who is hosting the conference, said: “News Scotland are proud to support and encourage future generations of journalists through our annual News Academy Conference.

"As young people consider a career in the media, the News Academy provides attendees with quality information and insights about the industry from senior journalists, how it works, the craft of journalism and what makes a good story. The Academy reflects the ingredients of News Scotland’s own success – investment in journalism and effective promotion.”

About News Scotland's Annual News Academy 

The keynote speech at the News Academy will be delivered by Raman Bhardwaj, Sports Presenter at STV. Raman has been working with STV for nearly 20 years, anchoring the sports slot of their flagship news programme, the STV News at Six, since 2007.

A panel debate, hosted by Alan Muir, will focus on issues such as newspaper circulation and increased website traffic; how paid-for news through subscription models is working for some papers, especially The Times; organisations such as BBC Scotland launching new channels; and how people are writing and broadcasting as individuals using social media.

The debate will address questions such as, what does the future hold for journalism? The basics should still remain: good grammar, punctuation, spelling, fact-checking, accuracy, legality, process. But how can they as news reporting becomes more fractured? Who will consumers go to in the future? More importantly, who will they trust? And who will be left standing in the new landscape?

The panel will consist of:

• Sam Poling, BAFTA award-winning BBC Journalist
• Raman Bhardwaj, Sports Presenter, STV
• James McIvor, Head of Digital, The Scottish Sun
• Shingi Mararike, News Reporter, The Sunday Times, and News Academy graduate
• Elizabeth Burden, graduate trainee, The Times

Breakout sessions will focus on ‘how-to’ tips from top journalists, including:

• Gill Smith, Deputy Editor, The Scottish Sun
• Sam Poling, BBC Journalist
• Roger Hannah, Sports Content Editor, The Scottish Sun
• Raman Bhardwaj, Sports Presenter, STV
• James McIvor, Head of Digital, The Scottish Sun
• Chris Musson, Scottish Political Editor, The Scottish Sun
• Christine Lavelle, The Scottish Sun
• Gabriella Bennett, Reporter, The Times
• Shingi Mararike, The Sunday Times
• Elizabeth Burden, The Times