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

Interviewing remotely

Here we explore the key issues journalists face when interviewing sources via electronic media instead of face-to-face and in real time.

The qualities of a journalist

Journalism is a demanding profession that requires a unique combination of intellectual curiosity, linguistic skill, and a deep understanding of the world. 

Creating a structured news report

Writing a news item without a plan is like building a kit without instructions. You need a structured story plan to order your facts logically and engage readers.

Editorial Ethics

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ETHICS SECTION

Unconscious bias and journalism

Bias is a prejudice for or against a group, often leading to unfair judgements. While it's a normal human trait, understanding our biases is vital for fairness.

Is your journalism ethical?

Reliable journalism is based on applying strict editorial ethics to all we do so that we can examine the issues that have the most impact on the lives of our audience.

Offence and journalism

Rigorous journalism inevitably offends some audiences. Global broadcasters must cover all aspects of human experience to reflect world affairs accurately.

Advanced Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ADVANCED SECTION

Interviewing without questions

Some interviews don't have to be a rigid question-and-answer session. A more conversational approach - without asking a single question - can sometimes yield richer insights.

What is data journalism?

Data journalism, also known as data-driven journalism, is the process of finding, understanding, and processing information in order to produce news stories.

Managing a news website’s front page

The journalist in charge of a news website is like a shopkeeper who sets out their stall. If the items are badly displayed the customer might miss them, if they are not fresh people won't buy them.

Investigative Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR INVESTIGATIVE SECTION

Tool: Motive, veracity, and security (MVS) matrix

This free Media Helping Media matrix is designed to help journalists assess the risks and benefits of investigating a tip-off or a leak.

The investigative journalism dossier

Discipline, order and a well thought out plan are essential for successful investigative journalism.

Dealing with suspects as news sources

Sources are one of the most valuable resources for a journalist. They need to be handled with care in order to build trust and gain knowledge.

Management

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR MANAGEMENT SECTION

Building a news team from scratch

Selecting, training and organising a strong news team is a challenge in any circumstances, but doing so in a refugee camp with no resources is an amazing achievement. One editor explains how it was done.

Tool: Story Weighting System

Different news stories have a different value for your audience and for your business. Giving news items a 'weighting' can lead to impact and efficiencies.

Hiring and developing staff

Hiring the right journalists is one of the most critical decisions senior newsroom managers make. The following guide is designed to help editors choose the right candidates.

Newsroom Strategy

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR STRATEGY SECTION

Adapting to changing audience behaviour

Media organisations need to ensure that the content they produce is available on every device the audience turns to for information.

Managing people and setting objectives

Media managers need to set clear objectives for all staff in order to get the best out of those who work for the news organisation.

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.

Ethical Scenarios

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR SCENARIOS SECTION

Journalistic integrity – scenario

In this scenario a political correspondent working for a broadcaster is asked to speak at an event organised by a political party - but there is a catch.

Journalistic ethics – scenario

In this scenario a reporter feels ethically compromised after accepting hospitality from a developer who subsequently pressured them for favourable coverage.

Testing boundaries – scenario

In this scenario we look at a situation where an editor faces breaking protocol because of the strength of a story.

Training of Trainers - ToT

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING OF TRAINERS SECTION

Tool: Evaluation and Impact Assessment

Training should always be judged by its effectiveness, and there are several tools for measuring success. The following is to evaluate the assess the impact of the training. 

Tool: Learning management systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are increasingly becoming the digital backbone of all media training, in particular Training of Trainers (ToT) courses.

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: News Meeting Manager

This tool is designed to help editors prepare for and run an effective news meeting that results in the production of original and informative journalism.

Tool: Gap analysis in media training

'Gap analysis' is an essential part of any 'training of trainers' (ToT) programme because it helps identify the specific needs of participants.

Tool: Evaluation and Impact Assessment

Training should always be judged by its effectiveness, and there are several tools for measuring success. The following is to evaluate the assess the impact of the training. 

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.