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Media Helping Media (MHM) aims to preserve essential journalistic skills at a time of fake news, misinformation and disinformation. Our exercises, workshops, lessons, course modules, and tools are free to download, adapt, and use.
Try our introduction to journalism curriculum then take the MHM news professionalism test.
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The content on Media Helping Media (MHM) is released via Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0.
Translation in journalism
If you are a journalist working in a multilingual society, you may have to work in more than one language.
How to write a radio news script
Radio journalists must write clear scripts that weave together compelling audio clips, ensuring listeners understand a news story's significance.
Constructing a news package for radio
This is a short training module setting out the basics for creating a news package for radio. It's been created for those starting out in radio journalism.
Causes of climate change
Journalists need to be aware of the danger of providing false equivalence and false balance when covering news stories - particularly regarding the subject of climate change.
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.
False equivalence and false balance
Journalists can sometimes present an inaccurate or false version of events by trying too hard to 'balance' a story or incorrectly treating elements of a story as being roughly equal.
Integrity and journalism
Without integrity your journalism is untrustworthy and suspect. Integrity is essential if a journalist wants to investigate issues, shine a light in dark places, and to dig where others don't.
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.
Offence and journalism
Journalists must ensure that the material they use in coverage has a clear editorial purpose. Where that material is likely to offend, there need to be clear warnings of what is coming up.
How to be a hands-on editor
A hands-on editor should be visible and positive, lead well-prepared news meetings with strong communication skills, be present when big stories break, praise publicly, correct privately, and trust their staff.
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.
Convergence: workflows, roles and responsibilities
A converged newsroom operates like a 'content factory', with a centralised 'command and control' desk responsible for all news intake, production and output.
Winning audience trust and loyalty
A media organisation needs to be clear about what it stands for in order to win the trust of the audience.
Community radio project plan
Launching a community radio station is a complicated exercise with lots of overlapping elements. The most important thing to do, before you do anything else, is to stop and think.
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.
Informed consent – scenario
In this scenario a reporter covering a disaster finds a grief-stricken woman who he films in order to feature in his report before discovering the truth about the tragedy behind her emotions.
Doorstepping – scenario
You are a local newspaper reporter sent out to doorstep a bereaved family but you lie to your news editor because you are reluctant to intrude on their grief.
Off-the-record chat – scenario
In this scenario we look at what a journalist should do with off-the-record information when it relates to a major news event.
Developing the potential of your staff
Media training is about investing in people - your staff. They are your most precious resource.
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 and what is expected of them
Tool: Training of Trainers (ToT)
Training of Trainers (ToT) courses are designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to train others.