ITV News hunts for new journalism talent

ITV News has partnered with the Media Trust to launch Breaking Into News 2011, a competition to unearth the broadcast journalism talent of the future.

Breaking Into News, fronted by ITV News at Ten presenters Mark Austin and Julie Etchingham, offers 18 to 25-year-olds the chance to be mentored by ITV's broadcast journalists in writing, presenting and production skills.

The six finalists will develop their own ideas and transform them into a news report for presentation to a judging panel, including Austin, Etchingham and executives from the Media Trust.

The winner will get the chance to work alongside the ITV News at Ten team for a day, and potentially publish their news story on "an ITV News platform". They will also get an iPad for future projects.

Entrants must submit a short description about themselves, including what they'd like to focus their report on and why they deserve their big break into news. The entry form can be found at the Media Trust website and the closing date for entries is August 8 at midday.

Etchingham described the competition as a "fantastic chance for young people out there who have a story to tell and an interest in broadcast journalism".

She said: "Often the difficulty with starting out in journalism is getting an initial foot in the door and solid experience for your CV. Breaking Into News is the perfect opportunity and I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the finished entries."

Katie Simpson, the deputy chief executive of the Media Trust, added: "Media Trust believes young people should have a voice, be enabled to talk about the things that matter to them most and be heard.

"It's difficult for young people in today's economic climate and we believe that mentoring and media are powerful tools that can be used to encourage and inspire. Through Breaking into News, Media Trust is proud to be helping ITV News reach out to a huge range of young people that might not normally have an opportunity like this."

Last month, ITV News poached the BBC's chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg to take up its newly created role of business editor.