Media Helping Media (MHM)

Preserving and promoting the core principles of accurate, impartial, public-service journalism by offering free training materials in multiple formats to be downloaded, adapted, and used.


Essential Journalism Values

CHECK OUT MORE THAN 250 ARTICLES ON JOURNALISM BEST PRACTICE

Accuracy

Why accuracy is essential

Accuracy means getting every single detail in your story absolutely correct.

Impartiality

Why impartiality matters

Impartiality means leaving your opinions at home when you go work.

Public interest

Serving the audience

Public service journalism covers the news that society needs to function.

400 resources

Download and adapt

Free articles, guides, and tools designed to strengthen journalism


Free Journalism Learning Materials

DOWNLOAD AND ADAPT MORE THAN 140 ASSORTED TRAINING RESOURCES

Exercises

Our free one-hour exercises provide practical skill-building activities for self-directed learning.

Workshops

Our two-hour and four-hour workshops offer structured training sessions on essential journalism skills.

Lessons

Our free day-long lesson outlines are for trainers to download and adapt for specific local training needs.

How-To Guides

Our short how-to guides are designed to be checklists based on some of our more comprehensive training articles

Modules

Our free six-week course modules deliver structured training programmes on major journalism themes.

Refreshers

Our free day-long intense refresher courses are to help experienced journalists update their skills .


Basic Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR BASICS SECTION

Including the human angle in journalism

For news organisations to succeed, they must attract and retain audiences. The human touch is vital for building trust and engagement.

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.

Parliamentary reporting for beginners

To cover parliament, a journalist needs to know local laws, understand parliamentary procedure, and know about the politicians and the political parties.

Editorial Ethics

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ETHICS SECTION

Conflicts of interest

In journalism, public trust is essential for credibility. One of the most significant threats to that trust are the many possible conflicts of interest that might confront journalists.

Why editorial ethics are important

The Media Helping Media ethics section is designed to help journalists navigate some of the challenges they might face as they go about their work.

Fairness in journalism

Fairness in journalism means exploring all sides of an issue and reporting the findings accurately.

Advanced Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ADVANCED SECTION

Media safety during elections

Journalists covering elections should never carry a weapon, should have first aid training, dress appropriately, listen to the locals and avoid confrontation.

Old news is no news, updates are essential

Journalism involves an ongoing commitment to update and rework the material we are producing to ensure that it remains relevant, reflects latest developments, and continues to inform.

Self-censorship in journalism

To combat self-censorship - a major hurdle for robust, impartial journalism - journalists must first recognize why it happens and understand its root causes.

Investigative Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR INVESTIGATIVE SECTION

AI and investigative journalism

The landscape of investigative journalism is undergoing a significant transformation, with artificial intelligence (AI) emerging as a powerful ally for reporters.

Investigating corruption

A journalist investigating corruption faces many risks and challenges. Investigative journalist Don Ray shares his experience.

The investigative journalism mindset

The investigative mindset is responsible for solving more information mysteries than probably any other factor. If you haven’t started writing down your best strategies now might be the time to start.

Management

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR MANAGEMENT SECTION

Adopting the ‘big story’ approach

Professional news relies on meticulous planning and coverage. Yet, some stories remain unpredictable. Explore the balance between preparation and the unexpected.

The role of the news producer

The news producer has an essential role to play in any news organisation. Their job is to ensure that the material that is published is of the highest quality.

Tool: The Content Value Matrix

In this article we look at the 'content value matrix, a tool designed to help media managers prioritise effort and resources on the stories that really matter to the target audience.

Newsroom Strategy

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR STRATEGY SECTION

Organisations supporting independent media

We have compiled a list of organisations that offer operational, strategic, and financial/business support for independent media, helping outlets survive, grow, and enhance their impact.

Creating a distinctive radio station sound

A radio station can only achieve impact if it has a unique and consistent sound and delivers content that the listeners can relate to.

Social media test for mainstream media

Does your media organisation have a social media strategy. Does it reach out and connect with your audience on every device they are turning to for information?

Ethical Scenarios

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR SCENARIOS SECTION

Informed consent – scenario

In this scenario a reporter covering a disaster films a grief-stricken woman before discovering the facts about the ordeal she has witnessed.

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?

Emotional assumptions – scenario

In this scenario a journalist lets their own emotional assumptions colour their news judgement resulting in misinformation.

Training of Trainers - ToT

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING OF TRAINERS SECTION

Designing a media training plan

A well-designed media training plan could make the difference between the success and the failure of a media business.

Build your own journalism training course

Editors who want to improve their news output and raise the professionalism of their staff now have access to free training materials.

Developing the potential of your staff

Media training is about investing in people - your staff. They are your most precious resource.

Training Tools

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING TOOLS SECTION

Tool: The MHM reporter’s notebook

If you are starting out in journalism you might find our Media Helping Media Reporter's Notebook helpful when covering your first story.

Tool: Newsroom Convergence Implementation

This newsroom convergence tool helps editors deliver content to multiple platforms from one source, increasing reach and efficiency while reducing costs.

Tool: The MHM newsroom staffing rota

Every news operations needs a staffing rota that provides excellent coverage during operational hours, makes maximum use of resources, and offers significant benefits for staff.

Radio production training in Jaffna, Sri LankaCheck out our short guide setting out how to make the best use of the free training resources on Media Helping Media.

Journalism training in KampalaMedia Helping Media has no political or financial backers – it’s just professional journalists sharing their knowlege. Find out more.

Fojo logoMedia Helping Media is proud to be hosted by the Fojo Media Institute.

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Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0The content on Media Helping Media (MHM) is released via Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0.