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

Words that are frequently misused

It's essential for journalists to maintain precision in their use of language, especially when dealing with words that sound or look similar but which carry different meanings.

Developing and handling news sources

News sources are vital for journalists to find essential stories. Without reliable information, reporters would be left staring at a blank page.

Assessing news value

The job of the journalist is to sort through daily events and package them into stories in order to inform the public.

Editorial Ethics

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ETHICS SECTION

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.

Impartiality in journalism

For journalists, being impartial means presenting information without demonstrating favouritism towards any specific viewpoint or party.

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

Editing radio news bulletins

Radio bulletins offer concise updates on the latest news. They deliver key stories tailored to your listeners' interests in just a few minutes.

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.

The importance of keeping records

Journalists who want to inform the audience need to keep records so that they can add context to breaking news stories without having to rely on others for background information

Investigative Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR INVESTIGATIVE SECTION

The investigative journalism dossier

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

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.

Tips for investigative journalism

This article looks at some of the main points to consider when producing a piece of investigative journalism.

Management

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR MANAGEMENT SECTION

Setting up refugee media in exile

This article deals with how refugee communities can set up and operate a successful news organisation when living in exile.

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.

Getting the best out of a news meeting

The following is a list of the essential elements required to ensure a successful daily newsroom meeting that provides a clear outline of what news stories are being covered.

Newsroom Strategy

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR STRATEGY SECTION

Project management skills

Successful media projects, whether new programmes, live event coverage or product launches, rely on following specific regulatory rules and industry guidelines.

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.

Developing a media sales strategy

Sales is one of the most important elements of a media company's commercial strategy. The sustainability of the business relies on its ability to generate income.

Ethical Scenarios

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR SCENARIOS SECTION

Public interest – scenario

This scenario looks at some of the issues that need to be considered when deciding whether a story is in the public interest.

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.

Right of reply – scenario

When should journalists offer a right of reply? All the time, sometimes, never? Try our ethical scenario and add your comments.

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.

Tool: Optimism index for media trainers

The 'Optimism Index' is a tool designed for trainers of group journalism sessions to gauge and ultimately improve the participants' hope for the future.

Wanted, your media know-how

Have you got any journalism expertise that you are willing to share with others? If so, please get in touch.

Training Tools

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING TOOLS SECTION

Tool: Multiplatform Authoring (MPA)

This MPA tool lets journalists write a story once and publish across multiple digital platforms, ensuring editorial consistency for the news organisation’s audience.

Tool: Optimism index for media trainers

The 'Optimism Index' is a tool designed for trainers of group journalism sessions to gauge and ultimately improve the participants' hope for the future.

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.