Advanced

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 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.

Image to illustrate specialist reporting created with Google Gemini

Specialisms in journalism

Specialist reporting means going beyond general news coverage in order to develop deep expertise, insight and trust in a particular subject area.

Evidence-based reporting

This guide provides a framework for journalists to compile in-depth reports on any topic by ensuring that all they write is based on verifiable facts.

Image by Kelly Static released via Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0

Investigating election irregularities

What should journalists look out for when covering elections? We look at five areas.

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 of a journalist reporting on a climate change rally created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

Climate change – language

Climate change is a complex and urgent story, demanding careful consideration of tone and language from the journalists covering the issue.

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.

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.

Image of the earth from space created with Gemini Imagen 3 AI by Media Helping Media

Causes of climate change

Journalists must avoid providing false equivalence and false balance when covering news stories – particularly climate change.

Data journalist image created by Microsoft's AI Image Designer

Using AI as a newsroom tool

Discover the pros and cons of AI in news production. We interview Google Gemini to explore how artificial intelligence views its growing role in journalism.

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.