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The Tutors

  • Tony Johnston

    Tony Johnston | Head of Press Association Training

    Before joining Press Association Training, Tony spent five years as head of editorial staff development for Trinity Mirror where he led the development of their Newcastle based Editorial Training Centre. Prior to that he performed a similar role for Trinity plc and Thomson Regional Newspapers. He trained as a journalist and was deputy editor of the Reading Evening Post and Assistant Editor of the Evening Gazette, Teesside. His background is in news journalism and he was a successful news editor, chief reporter and reporter before moving into journalism training. He is chair of the Steering Group of the Yorkshire and Humber East Lifelong Learning Network, is a member of the Society of Editor’s Training Committee and sits on the Newspaper Qualifications Council.

  • Paul Jones

    Paul Jones | Head of Foundation Course Training

    Paul has been Head of Foundation Course Training since 1995; he was the former deputy news editor, industrial editor, district chief reporter and general news reporter at the Evening Chronicle, Newcastle. Education reporter/general news reporter, Evening Post and Chronicle Wigan, general news reporter/sub-editor, Burnley Express.

  • Pat Hagan

    Pat Hagan | Deputy Head of Foundation Course

    Pat Hagan is Deputy Head of Foundation Course at Newcastle and delivers the law element of the course. Previously she has worked at the Telegraph & Argus in Bradford and The Journal in Newcastle as a general reporter, municipal correspondent, feature writer, columnist and proof reader. She was a senior sub-editor/designer with The Journal, where she also mentored trainee reporters and trained sub-editors. She has also managed programmes in production training. Pat has a post-graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from University College, Cardiff.

  • Susan Nixon

    Susan Nixon | Shorthand tutor

    Susan started working for Thomson Regional Newspapers training centre in 1984 and was a Pitman writer at 120wpm. She took over shorthand tution in 1987. She has gained the City & Guilds Certificate in Teaching in further education and a Teeline Proficiency Certificate.

  • Garry Willey | Course tutor

    Garry works part time on the foundation course taking responsibility for the delivery of the government syllabus. He has vast experience as a regional newspaper reporter and is currently Crown Court reporter for ncjMedia in Newcastle.