Basic journaism training modules
Parliamentary reporting tips for beginners
To cover parliament, a journalist needs to know local laws, understand parliamentary procedure, know about the politicians and the political parties involved, and have a solid knowledge of history.
News writing tips for beginners
A journalist writing a news story is the author, organiser and decision maker. Without them the story may never be told. They make the most important decision of all by asking the question - is there a story?
10 tips for reporting conflict and abuse
What to avoid when reporting conflict and abuse
Reporting conflict and abuse is complex. Often the facts are not revealed in a way that offers...
20 tips for TV and radio packaging
Structure, timing, and letting the interview breathe are all essential elements for ensuring a TV or radio news package explores multiple elements of the story through interviewing different people.
Crime reporting tips for beginners
Sometimes crime reporting reflects important issues in society: corruption, drugs, homelessness, hunger, lack of education, or whatever. And sometimes it is just a good story, with no wider implications.
Keeping the sub happy: tips for print journalists
A sub-editor is happiest when given copy that reads well and needs little rewriting. A writer or reporter is happiest when their copy is printed with the fewest changes to their original.
Journalism ethics training modules
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.
Impartiality in journalism
Being impartial means not being prejudiced towards or against any particular side. All journalists have their own views, however they must learn to leave aside their own personal perspectives.
Is your journalism ethical?
If the content you produce pushes an agenda, spins a line, favours a sector of society, is manipulated by subjective values, you are probably producing PR copy or even propaganda.
Unconscious bias and its impact on journalism
Journalists must not allow their own personal or political views to influence their pursuit of the truth. They need to remain objective and impartial, while also being aware of the dangers that unconscious biases can cause.
Why editorial ethics are important
The Media Helping Media ethics section is designed to help journalists understand and navigate some of the challenges they are likely to face as they go about their work.
Respecting privacy as a journalist
Journalists face a difficult balancing act. They must respect privacy, but they must also be rigorous and robust in their investigation into issues that are in the public interest.
Media Helping Media offers free training resources covering basic, advanced and investigative journalism, editorial ethics, media management and strategy, and staff training. We also have scenarios to test journalistic instincts. The site is supported by Fojo Media Institute.
How to set online news priorities
Increasingly, news websites are the product of a converged newsroom operating as a content factory and delivering information to whatever device the user turns to in order to access information.
Fake news and trust chains
Here we discuss fake news or false news. We look at what these terms mean for journalists, the different kinds of fake news, and how to combat fake or false news through good practice and the use of trust chains.
Media guide for spotting election irregularities
In its Election Reporting Handbook for journalists the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) sets out a list of what journalists should look out for when covering elections.
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.
How to investigate official documents
The investigative journalist never takes things at face value. They probe and question in order to get to the truth. If you are to uncover the story you need to keep asking questions.
Proactive journalism, ensuring issues are fully explored
Informing the public debate
Sometimes journalists become lazy. When this happens, the news they produce becomes superficial and shallow. They take information at face value....
Running a successful news meeting
Most newsrooms hold regular news meetings where the editor sets out what news stories are going to be covered and invites the news team to offer ideas about how the news should be developed and covered.
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.
Creating a converged news operation
A converged news operation offers improved quality control, more efficient workflows, cost savings, a steady flow of original journalism across all devices, and new resulting business opportunities.
Vision, accountability and transparency
A media organisation must be clear about what it stands for. If your audience puts its trust in the news you produce, then you need to set out your editorial values and be ready to be judged.
Managing people and setting objectives
For most staff, personal objectives are the most important, but they also need to know about the wider objectives. It is the line manager's responsibility to set personal objectives to help employees contribute fully.
Deciding whether news is in the public interest
How do you decide if a story is in the public interest or not? This site already has a training module on applying the public interest test to journalism, but we have now put together a scenario.
Informed consent scenario
You are a reporter covering a house fire where a traumatised woman talks to you on camera but after the interview you are made aware of the circumstances that could mean she didn't realise what she was saying. Do you use the interview?
Right of reply and accuracy scenario
Try our right of reply scenario where you are the editor of a morning radio news and current affairs programme and just before the bulletin you receive conflicting information that is too late to fact-check.
Basic rules for delivering training
One of the first steps in delivering training is to articulate the ground rules. Participants need to know what to expect, what is expected of them and how you intend to schedule course elements.
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.
Adopting the right attitude for media training
A trainer must not shout at participants or get into loud arguments. They must not make those attending their courses feel small or humiliate them. Some fairly strong points made by participants.