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.

Refreshers

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

Modules

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

Quick Guides

We’ve turned selected in-depth training material into bite-sized checklists for easy reference and review


Basic Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR BASICS SECTION

Journalism’s roles and responsibilities

Journalism demands a diverse skill set across various roles. Explore the different tasks and career paths available to modern journalists in our guide.

Grammar for journalists

Journalists need to observe important grammatical rules when writing news stories and avoid common mistakes that could confuse the audience.

Why some news stories are rejected

There will be times when a news story is withheld from publication, we look at why, what changes might be needed, and how to make sure a story is ethical and legally safe.

Editorial Ethics

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ETHICS SECTION

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.

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.

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.

Advanced Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ADVANCED SECTION

Understanding post-truth in journalism

For journalists, post-truth represents a critical challenge to our core mission of informing the public with accurate, verified information. Here we look at how journalists should handle post-truth content.

Using AI as a newsroom tool

Discover the pros and cons of AI in news production. We interview Google Gemini to explore how artificial intelligence views its growing role in journalism.

Journalists and politicians

Journalism is often referred to as “the fourth estate”, and is seen as being crucial to the functioning of a healthy and fair society.

Investigative Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR INVESTIGATIVE SECTION

Investigating corruption

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

Investigative journalism best-practice

Investigative journalism: Avoiding common mistakes

Investigating official documents

The investigative journalist never takes things at face value. They probe and question in order to get to the truth.

Management

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR MANAGEMENT SECTION

The role of the hands-on editor

A hands-on editor should lead by example, be present for breaking news, and communicate well. They must trust staff, praising publicly and correcting privately.

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.

Setting up community radio

Launching a community radio station is about more than just broadcasting news, it’s about creating a hub for local voices, sharing vital information, and building community spirit.

Newsroom Strategy

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR STRATEGY SECTION

Female representation in news leadership and coverage

Is your news organisation and its output male dominated? Are women fairly represented in newsroom leadership roles and the stories covered?

Reviewing news output is essential

A media house needs to be continually assessing whether its output is meeting the needs of the audience and achieving business targets.

Preparing 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.

Ethical Scenarios

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR SCENARIOS SECTION

Transparency and full disclosure – scenario

In this scenario a reporter embedded with the military and closely monitored in a war zone wanders off and discovers a story the army wouldn't want him to tell.

Covering a tragedy – scenario

In this scenario we look at how a journalist should act when they witness a tragedy unfolding and have to decide whether to help, or to stand by and report.

Trespass and journalism – scenario

In this scenario we look at a situation where a journalist is faced with breaking the law in order to gather essential information for informing the public debate.

Training of Trainers - ToT

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING OF TRAINERS SECTION

Training needs assessment

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.

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.

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.

Training Tools

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING TOOLS SECTION

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 : Training timetable planner

This sample training timetable helps trainers download and adapt MHM lesson outlines for their own specific needs. Ideal for customising your teaching plans.

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.

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.