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

Militaristic words used in journalism

Here we look at some of the most common militaristic words that are regularly used in journalism, along with their intended meaning and possible non-militaristic alternatives.

Parliamentary reporting for beginners

To cover parliament, a journalist needs to know local laws, understand parliamentary procedure, and know about the politicians and the political parties.

The active and passive voices in news

Make your news writing more interesting by using the “active voice”. Bob Eggington explains this simple and effective technique.

Editorial Ethics

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ETHICS SECTION

Fairness in journalism

Fairness in journalism means exploring all sides of an issue and reporting the findings accurately.

Impartiality in journalism

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

Photojournalism and ethics

The following are commonly accepted ethical guidelines for photojournalists adopted by most mainstream media.

Advanced Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR ADVANCED SECTION

Fake news and trust chains

"Fake news" encompasses two distinct concepts: fabricated stories masquerading as truth and the dismissal of legitimate news as false.

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.

Handling breaking news

Journalists need to have a system in place for covering a breaking news story in order to know who does what and when.

Investigative Journalism

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR INVESTIGATIVE SECTION

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

The investigative journalism mindset

The investigative mindset is responsible for solving more information mysteries than probably any other factor. If you haven’t started writing down your best strategies now might be the time to start.

How to investigate corruption safely

Investigating and reporting on corruption involves risk. Here we look at how investigative journalists stay safe when covering stories that are likely to anger those who are determined to keep their secrets hidden.

Management

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR MANAGEMENT SECTION

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.

Adopting the ‘big story’ approach

Professional news relies on meticulous planning and coverage. Yet, some stories remain unpredictable. Explore the balance between preparation and the unexpected.

Tool: The MHM newsroom staffing rota

Every news operations needs a staffing rota that provides excellent coverage during operational hours, makes maximum use of resources, and offers significant benefits for staff.

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?

Establishing a market differential

This article sets out the process for producing original, in-depth, issue-led journalism designed to inform the public debate.

Creating a current affairs programme

In this article we look at the steps involved in creating a radio news and current affairs programme based on the needs of the target audience.

Ethical Scenarios

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR SCENARIOS SECTION

Emotional pressure – scenario

How should a reporter respond when someone uses emotional pressure and threats to try to stop them doing their job?

Returning favours – scenario

In this scenario a naive reporter's early success with a government minister leads to an ethical dilemma when a 'favour' is demanded in return.

Interviewing integrity – scenario

In this scenario, an award-winning journalist is offered a top job at national TV station, but soon after starting her new job she discovers corruption in the media house.

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. 

Developing the potential of your staff

Media training is about investing in people - your staff. They are your most precious resource.

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.

Training Tools

SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM - OUR TRAINING TOOLS 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: 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.

Tool: The MHM reporter’s notebook

If you are starting out in journalism you might find our Media Helping Media Reporter's Notebook helpful when covering your first story.

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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