The tutors

Alison Trueman, training manager

Alison Trueman is hugely experienced in media software training. She worked for three years as a peripatetic trainer for Tera UK Ltd, installing its editorial system and training subs to use it. Before that she worked at Yorkshire Post Newspapers where she trained editorial and production staff to use QuarkXPress. She runs courses in all media software including Quark and Adobe InDesign. Alison also runs the PA Media Centre Experience in Howden.

Phil Swift

Phil Swift worked in national newspapers for more than 30 years. His career began at the Daily Mail where he was a news sub-editor. He then spent more than 20 years at the Daily Mirror, first in production roles — sub-editing, chief sub-editing and night editing — before becoming features editor and then deputy editor of the newspaper. He has also worked at The People, The Sunday Mirror and Today.
Phil came to the Press Association in 2001 and was previously producing business and financial newspapers and magazines before joining the PA Training team. He is responsible for running the PA Media Centre Experience in London.

Phil Muse

Phil Muse has been involved in media technology training for much of his career. In addition he has designed, built, and installed audio and video studios for the education sector, written and managed courses to degree level, acted as technical manager of a pan-European project to create a multimedia language tool, and for a number of years managed a commercial multimedia production facility, also acting as technical designer. Phil gives support to video journalists at The Press Association and delivers courses in video editing.
As part of the Howden PA Media Centre Experience Phil shows students around the PA studios and, if time allows, helps them to make a short video.

Peter Sands, Director

Peter Sands was a successful, campaigning editor of The Northern Echo. During that time the Echo was redesigned to win a string of awards, including the National Design Award. He moved on to become development editor of Westminster Press before setting up the Editorial Centre in 1995. An authority on design, colour, graphics and the media industry, Peter is in demand as a designer, trainer, consultant and conference speaker.

tony Johnston, Head of Press Association Training

Prior to joining PA 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. Before 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 a member of the Society of Editor’s Training Committee and sits on the Newspaper Qualifications Council.

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