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 an investigative journalist - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

The essential role of journalism

Journalism isn’t just reporting, it’s witnessing history, challenging power, amplifying unheard voices, and making sense of a chaotic world.
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.
Online editor in Vietnam - image by Media Helping Media released by Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Updating an online news item

Journalists working on a news website are responsible for publishing content on every device their users to turn to in order to access information.
Slide by David Brewer released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Setting online news priorities

Modern news sites act as converged content factories, delivering information across all user devices through a streamlined, multi-platform digital newsroom.
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.
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.
Graphic for a Media Helping Media Training Tool

Tool: Story Weighting System

Different news stories have a different value for your audience and for your business. Giving news items a 'weighting' can lead to impact and efficiencies.
Photo by Elijah O'Donnell on Unsplash

Fake news and trust chains

"Fake news" encompasses two distinct concepts: fabricated stories masquerading as truth and the dismissal of legitimate news as false.
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.
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.
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 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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