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

What is public service journalism?

Public service journalism covers the news society needs to function.


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

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.

How to cover an event

This guide offers comprehensive advice for anyone looking to cover an event, from meticulous preparation and strategic on-site actions to ethical interview techniques and capturing compelling visuals.

Language and style – basics

Learn how to write clear, impactful sentences for better understanding and discover why choosing the right language is essential for your readers.

Editorial Ethics

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ETHICS SECTION

Offence and journalism

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

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.

Advanced Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ADVANCED SECTION

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.

Avoiding bias during election coverage

During elections politicians will often accuse media organisations and their journalists of bias. We look at the challenges of producing fair election coverage.

Planning a radio current affairs programme

Explore the difference between radio news and daily current affairs programmes, and learn how they work together to keep audiences fully informed.

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.

How to investigate official documents

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

Why would anyone want to talk to a journalist?

An investigative journalist has to encourage people to share information that they had previously withheld.

Management

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR MANAGEMENT SECTION

Creating a vibrant newsroom culture

The output of a news organisation is determined by how well the newsroom is run. A well-managed newsroom is more likely to produce compelling and engaging content focused on audience need.

Organising effective newsgathering

Here we look at ways to set up a strong newsgathering team from planning, production through to output.

Social media in news production

Social media has fundamentally disrupted the media landscape, forcing traditional outlets to confront their operational models and redefine their role in a rapidly evolving information ecosystem.

Newsroom Strategy

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR STRATEGY SECTION

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.

Project management skills

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Evaluating the impact of training

The evaluation process for media training is set in motion the moment you are engaged by the media organisation you are being asked to help.

Training Tools

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING TOOLS SECTION

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.

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: 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.

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.

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