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.

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A journalist must not have an agenda

Our role as journalists is to unearth information, prepare it and then display it for the benefit of the audience. We are not there to fabricate, manipulate or force.
Image of a climate change rally created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

Climate change glossary

The following is a list of some of the common climate change terms used by scientists, environmental agencies, governments, activists, and journalists.
Syrian journalist being trained by the author, Naomi Goldsmith

Discrimination trauma in journalism

Newsrooms committed to diversity, in terms of both staffing and coverage, must also deal with the psychological toll that discrimination takes on journalists.
Image of a confidential document changing hands - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

Handling story leaks and tip-offs

A critical factor for journalists when handling and disseminating leaked material is the need to take account of the motives of the leaker.
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 of a journalist covering a climate change rally created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

Journalism and activism

Can a journalist also be an activist for a cause without compromising the core editorial values of journalism?
Interview training for radio journalism students in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, image by David Brewer of Media Helping Media

Interviewing without questions

Some interviews don't have to be a rigid question-and-answer session. A more conversational approach - without asking a single question - can sometimes yield richer insights.
Image of robot and smartphone by Matt Brown (https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonmatt/) released via Creative Commons BY DEED 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.)

Detecting AI-generated images

How can journalists identifying fake photographs with so many dramatic images being shared at speed on social media.
Image illustrating climate change created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

Covering climate change

Reporting on climate change presents journalists with major hurdles, as it's a topical, controversial subject rooted in complex scientific research.
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.
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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.
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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.

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