Advanced journalism

Our advanced section explores specialised topics for experienced journalists seeking to deepen their expertise. Develop your skills in data journalism, multimedia storytelling, investigative techniques, and complex narrative structures that elevate reporting to the next level. All our material is free to download, adapt and use. Scroll down our site map for all the content in this and other sections.

Image of the earth from space created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

Causes of climate change

Journalists must avoid providing false equivalence and false balance when covering news stories – particularly climate change.
Image courtesy of Randy Colas on Unsplash

Forms of information disorder

With the spread of fake news, journalists need to recognise and understand the different categories, types, elements, and phases of information disorder.
Slide by David Brewer released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Managing a news website’s front page

The journalist in charge of a news website is like a shopkeeper who sets out their stall. If the items are badly displayed the customer might miss them, if they are not fresh people won't buy them.
Image of scales from Wellcome Trust released under Creative Commons

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.
Content value matrix - created by David Brewer of Media Helping Media

Tool: The Content Value Matrix

The newsroom content value matrix is a free tool for helping journalists prioritise information and resources to focus on the stories that matter to audiences.
Slide by David Brewer released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.

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
Journalists in Vietnam applying critical thinking to story treatment - image by David Brewer

Critical thinking for journalists

Critical thinking is the bedrock of quality journalism, serving as the essential foundation to help audiences better understand the world.
Image by David Brewer released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Running an effective news meeting

Here we offer 50 suggestions for helping editors run stimulating news meetings that guarantee a steady stream of original stories.
Image to illustrate AI in the newsroom - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

Using AI in journalism

Media organisations using AI should set clear newsgathering and production guidelines to protect journalistic integrity and maintain audience trust.
Image of a journalist covering a health beat/round - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

Health reporting for beginners

Most journalists are generalists, who can cover any kind of story.  But there is also a place for specialists, providing expertise on particular subjects. 
Image of man typing on a computer by Negative Space and released under Creative Commons.

Prompting AI for journalism

When using generative AI in journalism, it's essential to create the right prompts. The quality of the prompts will define the quality of the response.
Image by mikemacmarketing released via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0

Dealing with fake news

Media experts share their advice on how to deal with fake news

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