Basics

This section is for those starting off in journalism. The articles cover all aspects of journalism basics. See our site map to view the complete list.

Photo of woman reading newspaper by Photo by Abhijith S Nair on Unsplash

How news value is assessed

The job of the journalist is to sort through daily events and package them into stories in order to inform the public.

Image courtesy of Freedom House and released under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0

Reporting from conflict zones

When reporting from a conflict zone a journalist needs to be sensitive, understand history and cultural issues, and put people first

This training module from The News Manual looks at language and style in news writing. It offers guidance on how to write sentences for maximum understanding, and examines why care over language is important.

Image of an intervention in a council meeting - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

The evolution of an original news story

Impactful and original journalism often begins with the answer to a question which, after thorough investigation, develops into a news story with significant implications.

Image by Hans and Carolyn released under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

News writing for beginners

A journalist writing a news story is the author, organiser and decision maker. Without them the story may never be told.

Letting the pictures tell the story

Letting the pictures tell the story is an important skill for TV journalists

sub-editor and reporter working on a story. Image created with Gemini AI

The roles of reporters and sub-editors

In newspapers, a streamlined workflow, characterised by minimal editorial intervention, benefits both reporters and sub-editors, ultimately enhancing the publication's quality.

Facts, context, perspectives, and the truth

The primary role of a journalist in covering a news story is to uncover verifiable facts, provide context and present the information to the audience.