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.

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Journalism and the public interest

All news stories should, by definition, be interesting. They should immediately capture the attention and make the audience want to know more.
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Radio training workshop in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Image by David Brewer

Where does news come from?

The job of the journalist is to uncover the stories that shape our understanding of the world.
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Editorialising is not for news

The free training materials on Media Helping Media are all aimed at encouraging one particular kind of journalism: accurate, fact-based, impartial news reporting.
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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.
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SIFT for fact-checking

Journalists who are committed to fact-checking, as we should all be, have several methods available to help them deal with fake news.
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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.
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Interviewing for video journalists

Tips about the steps a video journalist can take to enhance the quality of filmed interviews.
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Preparing for a job interview

Some suggestions for journalists preparing for a job interview.
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Exercises

Exercise: The inverted pyramid

Inverted pyramid writing puts essential, newsworthy info first, followed by supporting details and background. It ensures readers see the most vital facts straight away.
Workshops

Workshop: The six important questions

This workshop looks at the six questions that every journalist should consider asking. They are What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who?
Management

Tool: The MHM newsroom staffing rota

Every news operations needs a staffing rota that provides excellent coverage during operational hours, makes maximum use of resources, and offers significant benefits for staff.
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