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 a journalist analysing data created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

What is data journalism?

Data journalism, also known as data-driven journalism, is the process of finding, understanding, and processing information in order to produce news stories.
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
Image by Russell Trow released via Creative Commons CC BY 2.0

Media safety during elections

Journalists covering elections should never carry a weapon, should have first aid training, dress appropriately, listen to the locals and avoid confrontation.
Journalist Bakhita Aluel adjusting the microphone at Radio Easter in Yei in South Sudan

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.
Systems thinking (story development) training in Vietnam - image by David Brewer

Systems thinking for journalists

Systems thinking empowers journalists to provide deeper more meaningful news coverage by moving beyond surface-level reporting to uncover underlying related facts.
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.
Slide by David Brewer released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Planning effective election coverage

Planning is essential for journalists to produce effective election coverage.
Image by Adam Lisagor released via Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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.
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.
Image by Scale Free Metwork released via Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Spotting errors in your own writing

Most journalists need a second pair of eyes to check through their copy in order to spot any factual, grammatical or spelling mistakes.
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.
Graphic by @urbanmuralhunter, image by Terence Faircloth, released via Creative Commons

Disinformation and misinformation

Journalists attempting to deal with 'fake news' need to understand the difference between disinformation and misinformation.

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