Basics

Our basics section provides foundational knowledge for journalists starting their careers and for those wanting to refresh their skills. Learn techniques including news writing, interviewing, story structure, and reporting practices that form the bedrock of quality journalism. 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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Tool: MHM Story Builder

The Media Helping Media’s Story Builder is a simple tool created to help those who are new to journalism write informative news articles.

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Parliamentary reporting for beginners

To cover parliament, a journalist needs to know local laws, understand parliamentary procedure, and know about the politicians and the political parties.

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How to create a structured news report

This module was written for trainee journalists in Zimbabwe who were keen to learn how to produce in-depth video reports about life in their remote rural communities.

An image of a journalist writing on a computer - image by Google Gemini AI

In journalism, good writing is plain writing

The purpose of news writing is to convey meaning clearly and effortlessly by using precise, comprehensible, and easily digestible words.

Interview training for radio journalism students in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, image by David Brewer of Media Helping Media

Introduction to interviews

The interview is one of the basic tools of journalism. You cannot be a good journalist without being a good interviewer and a careful listener.

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Developing important news angles

Seeking out new angles on a breaking, developing or running news story is an important part of the editorial process.

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How to write a radio news script

Radio journalists must write clear scripts that weave together compelling audio clips, ensuring listeners understand a news story's significance.

Image of an editor correcting a reporter's copy - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

Why some news stories are rejected

There will be times when a news story is withheld from publication, we look at why, what changes might be needed, and how to make sure a story is ethical and legally safe.