Depending on what you want to do or what opportunities there are, I don't think you need formal journalism training. But I'm not as familiar with the way things work in the UK (I know that some people get some kind of journalism certification we don't really have here in the US).

Journalism.co.uk is a great site to start.

I'd also recommend getting in touch with Paul Bradshaw, who runs the MA in Online Journalism program at Birmingham City University and publishes the Online Journalism Blog, to get a better feel for things. He's also done some coding, such as for WordPress plugins, so he's a good guy to know.

I don't know him well personally (just from Twitter and the blog), but his email is

paul.bradshaw at bcu dot ac.uk

I know some other people who studied and/or now work in journalism in the UK -- none of whom are web developers, but they could be helpful. Let me know and I can give you other names and maybe they could help you out more.

Good luck!

Greg Linch

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Are you in London? The City University seems to have a good program. Prof. George Brock is head of the department.

More informally, a group of journalists, including several from The Times, have started getting together to learn to code Ruby. The event's called Ruby in the Pub (#rubyinthepub and #ritp on Twitter). Next one's April 27. Full details here. No need to RSVP; just show up.

Joanna Geary is the chief organizer. Easiest way to contact her is by Twitter @joannageary. Tell her I sent you.

Chrys Wu

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One way in would be to partner with working journalists on a project. That way you can get a taste of journalism and a sense of what stories you'd like to tell, without having to be both coder and journalist (at least not yet).

Jumping off Greg's answer, you could collaborate with a university class, where there might be more appetite for experimentation and more people who could work on whatever project you dream up.

Chris Amico

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Where are you in the UK? If you're near London, drop me a line. We can chat over a pint. Just for some background, Joanna Geary of The Times has started Ruby in the Pub in London bringing together journalists and developers, as Aron mentioned. The Guardian also has a number of events through its developer network to give you a sense of working with journalists. If you're not in London, Paul Bradshaw's programme in Birmingham is excellent. Francois Nel runs the the Digital Editors Network at UCLan. Cardiff has an excellent journalism programme, and I know that they are expanding their work with respect to the intersection of journalism and coding. As I said, drop me a line, and I can help either answer your questions or put you in touch with people who could.

Kevin Anderson

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I don't have a great answer for you per se, but I know who would... And as it happens, most of those folks will be at Ruby in the Pub on April 27, 2010. You will meet a number of techy journalists and developers coming together for (what else) Ruby and beer. A number of folks there can help answer the question.

Aron Pilhofer

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All of the above are good answers.

But I would also urge you to consider the idea of taking some coursework, even if not a degree, in journalism.

I'm not saying you have to do this in order to find work in this field. Forward-thinking news organizations want people with your programming skills, and I don't think that's any different in the UK than in the US.

But I also think that there's a lot you could learn in a journalism classroom about the craft, practice, culture and ethics of journalism, which I believe you would find valuable and will offer you insights into how to apply your coding chops to journalism. Also, being able to present yourself as a developer who also knows something about journalism will make you stand out against others who have only the software skills, and will also increase the chances you could find a job -- or make a case for one -- inside a newsroom where you'd work directly with journalists, as opposed to working in the IT department for a media company. For better or worse, I think people who make hiring decisions in newsrooms now prefer -- and may always prefer -- a developer with some journalism chops as well. Now, probably a majority of newsroom managers aren't actively seeking someone like this, but the ones who "get it" (who run the newsrooms you'd most want to work in) recognize the value that someone who's at least partly "bilingual" in journalism and technology would bring.

Here in the States, there are quite a few one-year master's programs in journalism, open to international as well as domestic students. As I've noted elsewhere on this site, I'm not convinced of the value of Columbia's 2.5-year approach to gain a master's in both journalism and computer science. But considering what you say about your coding skills, you may not need the advanced study in computer science -- you may just need to bolster your resume (and understanding of journalism). At the Medill School of Journalism (Northwestern University), where I teach, we have some scholarship money (thanks to the Knight Foundation) available for developers who want to earn a master's in journalism. The scholarship awards are competitive, so there are certainly no guarantees -- but I'd encourage you to consider applying if a year of study overseas is feasible for you. If it's not feasible, I'd suggest you explore the possibilities for journalism education in the UK. I know higher education in the UK is structured differently than in the US, so this may or not be realistic advice. Greg Linch's suggestion that you contact Paul Bradshaw is a good one.

Rich Gordon

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Hi - Paul here. You're welcome to come sit in on some classes at undergraduate or postgraduate level. I should point out that the MA Online Journalism welcomes applications from developers with no journalistic experience, on the basis that I believe you can 'do' journalism without writing a word. Now there's a discussion thread to be had...

Paul Bradshaw

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