Media Helping Media is hosted by the Fojo Media Institute and is one of its official training resources.
From our BASIC JOURNALISM section
Fact-checking and adding context
Journalism is about far more than simply gathering information and passing it on. An essential part of the editorial process is to examine everything we are told to make sure it is factual, and then add context so that any facts that are uncovered are considered alongside existing knowledge.
Developing and applying “news sense”
How do we know what is “news”? There are millions of things going on in the world all the time and only some of them become news stories.
From our EDITORIAL ETHICS section
Accuracy in journalism
A media organisation will be judged on the accuracy and reliability of its journalism, which must be well-sourced, supported by strong evidence, examined and tested, clear and unambiguous. Verified facts must form the basis of all news, not rumour or speculation.
Photojournalism and ethics
Media Helping Media has produced a set of suggested ethical guidelines for video and photojournalists in order to try to help those in the field navigate everyday editorial issues.
From our ADVANCED JOURNALISM section
How to handle a breaking news situation
An example of how an international TV and digital news organisation deals with breaking and developing news, including when and how to update information shared on all the station's channels.
How to avoid make-believe journalism
Our role as journalists is to unearth information, prepare it and then display it for the benefit of the audience. We are not there to fabricate, manipulate or force.
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Avoiding the pitfalls of investigative journalism
Producing a piece of investigative journalism to international standards can be a daunting prospect. This guide is to help journalists avoid some of the pitfalls and problems often encountered.
Tips for investigative journalism
The following are some of the points from a training session given by Marcus Tanner to the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence setting out how to produce a piece of investigative journalism.
10 tips for investigating corruption
An investigative journalist has to plot the geometry of bribery, determine the currency of influence, document the paper trail, and deal with threats and retaliation when investigating corruption.
The important role of the news producer
The news producer has an essential role to play in any news organisation. Their job is to add depth to the content being produced, make sure it is well-researched and oversee quality control.
Editorial considerations when a ‘big story’ breaks
When a big story breaks the following editorial considerations should be assessed.
Social media in news production and news dissemination
Social media is an increasingly disruptive force on the media landscape. It challenges traditional, mainstream media to reconsider how they operate.
Strategic forward planning for media organisations
This module looks at how media organisations need to plan ahead to produce original content that informs the public debate and covers the issues of most concern to the target audience.
Identifying the target audience and its information needs
The first step in setting up a media business is to identify the audience you plan to serve. You need to know their information needs so that you can better serve them.
Adapting to changing audience behaviour
The challenge of keeping up with changing audience behaviour and ensuring that the content that is produced is available on all the devices the audience uses to access information.
Journalistic ethics – scenario
Try our journalistic ethics scenario and see what you would do if an earlier laps in editorial led to you feeling unable to cover a news story because of external pressures.
Withholding information – scenario
You are about to publish an article about a local business which is offering a service for a paid-for subscription. Before you publish you are informed that a similar service is being offered by a community project which is totally free-of-charge. What do you do?
Testing boundaries – scenario
As one of the editors of a government radio news service in a developing democracy you receive information of an imminent threat of famine in a rural area of the country. But you fear that broadcasting the information could anger your employers. What do you do?
The essential qualities of a media trainer
What it takes to be a media trainer
Media trainers must have recent, valid experience of all they teach. They need to understand the pressures...
12 tips for international media trainers
Those invited to help the media overseas need to ensure that the training they offer is continually refreshed so that it's up-to-date and sensitive to local issues and better addresses local needs.
Evaluating the impact of training
The evaluation process at the end of a media training session begins the moment you are engaged by the media organisation you are being asked to help because this is when you know the expectations and deliverables.