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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Spotting errors in your own writing

Spotting mistakes after hitting publish is a journalist's nightmare. Here, veteran journalists share tips for catching errors when writing news stories.
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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.
Fact-checking training Kenya. Image by Media Helping Media released via Creative Commons

Creating a fact-checking system

It’s the job of the journalist to try to find and present the truth, but fact-checking isn't easy. It requires a methodological approach to verification.
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Investigating election irregularities

What should journalists look out for when covering elections? We look at five areas.
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Climate change – language

Climate change is a complex and high-profile story, demanding careful consideration of tone and language from the journalists covering the issue.
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. 
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The use of idioms in journalism

Journalists producing serious news coverage must always write in a way that is clear, accurate, free from jargon.
Interview training for radio journalism students in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, image by David Brewer of Media Helping Media

Types of interviews and when to use them

Interviewing is a core skill of journalism. Here we look at the main interview formats, what each is designed to achieve, and when to use them.
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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.
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How to handle a media-trained interviewee

How do you interview someone who has been trained to avoid your questions? You have to recognise the techniques, stay calm, and keep digging for facts.
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Data journalism – resources and tools

We have compiled a list of some of the leading resources and tools that are available for those starting out in data journalism.
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

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