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.

The author, Ruhina Ferdous, working with journalism students at Dhaka University

The sub-editor: roles, skills, and responsibilities

What does a sub-editor do? This guide covers the core skills, key responsibilities, and modern demands of sub-editing across print and digital newsrooms.
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 a storm in a teacup - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

The use of idioms in journalism

Journalists producing serious news coverage must always write in a way that is clear, accurate, free from jargon.
Image of journalist taking notes by Marco Urban released via Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0

Self-censorship in journalism

Self-censorship in journalism is intentionally withholding or altering content out of fear of social, professional, or political backlash.
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.
The author interviewing an elderly Bhutanese refugee mother in a refugee camp in Jhapa, Nepal, in 2009

How to interview trauma survivors

Interviewing trauma survivors is a core journalism skill. Learn how to talk to someone who has endured personal loss, suffered conflict, displacement, or abuse.
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.
Image of a news editor working through press releases with a reporter looking on. Created by Gemini AI for Media Helping Media

How to deal with press releases

Press releases often reflect someone else’s agenda. Discover how to analyse, verify, and transform them into strong, independent journalism.
Image of journalists looking at a computer screen created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

Good journalism has always been about data

We are all data journalists, even those who may have never heard of the term before. Data journalism has been around for years, it's just more accessible and useful now.
Sebastian Solberg

Making a documentary

A free step-by-step guide for journalists who want to learn how to make documentaries.
Slide by David Brewer released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Presenting news content online

A journalist managing a news website is constantly involved in updating, refreshing and repositioning content in time with the evolving news flow.
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.

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Content released under Creative Commons

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