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Basic journalism

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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Shoe-leather reporting

Digital noise is everywhere, but shoe-leather reporting - getting out and talking to people - remains a foundational skill for the modern journalist.
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Clarity is as important as accuracy

Journalists must write clearly as well as accurately using accessible language that the audience can understand.
Image of journalists at a Fojo Media Institute training session

What is news?

What is news? Beyond facts, it’s the stories that truly matter to people. Explore why human interest and personal relevance are at the heart of every headline.
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Using the right words

Words are the essential tools of journalism. They convey meaning and help the audience understand the issues we are covering. So they need to be used properly.
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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.

Developing news sense

How do we know what is news? There are millions of things going on in the world all the time and only some of them become news stories.
TV newsroom in Bangladesh - image by Media Helping Media

Constructing a TV news package

Learn how to construct a TV news package, from research and filming to editing and scripting, with this step-by-step guide for new journalists.
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The questions every journalist should ask

There are six questions that journalists should consider asking. They are What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who?
Journalists in Vietnam attending training on finding the human angle in news stories - Image by David Brewer

Including the human angle in news

For news organisations to succeed, they must attract and retain audiences. The human touch is vital for building trust and engagement.
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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.
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.
Graphic of a construction kit and instructions created using Google Gemini AI

Creating a structured news report

Writing news without a plan is like building a kit without instructions. Use a structured story plan to order facts logically and engage your readers.
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