In association with Fojo Media Institute, Linnaeus University, Sweden

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.

Journalist writing at a typewriter in army fatigues. Image created with Gemini AI

Militaristic words used in journalism

Here we look at some of the most common militaristic words that are regularly used in journalism, along with their intended meaning and possible non-militaristic alternatives.
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Image of a journalist researching created using Imagen 3 - created by David Brewer of MHM

Lateral reading

When it comes to fact-checking and adding context to news articles, journalists need to apply ‘lateral reading’ in order to broaden their knowledge.
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Passive and active voice graphic by Anders Behrmann

The active and passive voices in news

Make your news writing more interesting by using the “active voice”. Bob Eggington explains this simple and effective technique.
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Man writing on notepad. Image by NegativeSpace released via Creative Commons

Adjectives and adverbs in journalism

When it comes to writing - not just news writing but any kind of writing - adjectives and adverbs have a bad reputation.
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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
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Image by Allissa Richardson released via Creative Commons CC BY 2.0

Interviewing for video journalists

Tips about the steps a video journalist can take to enhance the quality of filmed interviews.
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TV newsroom in Bangladesh - image by Media Helping Media

Constructing a TV news package

This article sets out the basics for creating a news package for TV. It's been created for those starting out in TV journalism.
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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.
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Scenarios

Journalistic integrity – scenario

In this scenario a political correspondent working for a broadcaster is asked to speak at an event organised by a political party - but there is a catch.
Advanced

Data journalism – resources and tools

We have compiled a list of some of the leading resources and tools that are available for those starting out in data journalism.
Strategy

Developing a media sales strategy

Sales is one of the most important elements of a media company's commercial strategy. The sustainability of the business relies on its ability to generate income.
© Content on Media Helping Media is released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 unless otherwise stated.