Basic journaism training modules
20 interviewing tips for journalists
A journalist needs to be well-prepared when planning an interview. However, after all your research, try to keep the interview to three questions in order to avoid over-complication and confusion.
What is a journalist?
Another training module from The News Manual. Here we will discuss: who journalists are and what they do; why people become journalists; and what qualities you need to be a good journalist.
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.
What is news?
Here we consider what makes one thing worth reporting, while another thing is not. We offer a test for news which can work in all societies. We consider what makes some news stories stronger than others.
From citizen reporting to citizen journalism
The beauty of citizen reporting is that it can be fast and fresh, down-to-earth and uncomplicated, and, sometimes, reach areas not always covered by mainstream media.
Tips for writing radio news scripts
Writing a script for a radio news package
Keep it short and simple
Radio journalists need to be able to pick the best, most newsworthy audio...
Journalism ethics training modules
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.
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.
Fairness in journalism
Fairness in journalism means exploring all sides of an issue and reporting the findings accurately. Members of the public should never be used to exaggerate the importance of a story.
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.
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.
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.
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 handle a breaking news situation
Knowing who does what, why, when, and how
I was asked to create a training module for a 24-hour TV channel in an Asian country...
Information disorder – the essential glossary
For the policy-makers, technology companies, politicians, journalists, librarians, educators, academics, and civil society organisations all facing the challenges of information disorder, agreeing to a shared vocabulary is essential.
Snacking on rumour, feeding on facts
The good news for mainstream media is that the social networking audience still wants facts, but those producing the facts need to rethink how they create and disseminate those facts.
20 ways a suspect can help a journalist
Sources are one of the most valuable resources for a journalist. Without sourced information, the reports produced may end up being padded with rumour and personal opinion.
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.
Why would anyone want to talk to a journalist?
There may be many reasons why someone will agree to open up to a reporter, and some will be beyond their control. It's worth taking time to try to figure out the motives before interviewing them.
Convergence, workflows, roles and responsibilities
A converged newsroom operates like a content factory, responsible for all intake, production and output. It gathers and processes raw material, creates different products, and delivered them to the target audience.
Newsgathering tips for producing great content
The newsgathering process involves sourcing ideas, planning coverage, assigning teams, structuring packages, monitoring the web, working in the field - and coming back alive and well.
Creating a journalism content weighting system
Introducing a story weighting system helps prioritises effort on the stories that are of most value to the target audience, it saves time, speeds up production, and helps avoid wasted effort.
Preparing and introducing a media corporate plan
The corporate plan is the most important tool in a media chief executive’s toolbox. Without it the media organisation can become lost and directionless.
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.
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.
Editorial Impartiality scenario
Being impartial and being seen to be impartial
Allegations are made about an incompetent medical surgeon and a subsequent cover up at a hospital. People...
Photo journalism scenario
You arrive at a border crossing and see a child sitting by the roadside crying. You think it's been abandoned and take a picture. But it transpires it's just lost its mother and stops crying when the mother arrives.
Privacy protection scenario
You are working on the online news desk of a large media organisation. News breaks of fighting overseas. Raw footage arrives showing identifiable dead bodies. What do you do?
How to design a successful media training plan
A well-designed media training plan could make the difference between the success and the failure of a media business. Get it wrong and you could be adding to the problems you were asked to address.
Maximising the impact of media training
Thorough research is the essential if you are to deliver high-impact media training. Never accept a brief from media managers without question - they could be wrong and often are.
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.