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.

Mobile journalism training Harare, Zimbabwe. Image shared via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Citizen reporting to citizen journalism

Image by U.S. Department of Agriculture released via Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0

Interviewing politicians

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Including the human angle in journalism

The reference books used to create this page - image by David Brewer of MHM

Words that are frequently misused

It's essential for journalists to maintain precision in their use of language, especially when dealing with words that sound or look similar but which carry different meanings.

Radio production training Jaffna - image by Media Helping Media

Constructing a news package for radio

This is a short training module setting out the basics for creating a news package for radio. It's been created for those starting out in radio journalism.

Grammar for journalists

In this, the third module in the series about language and style from The News Manual, we look at some of the most important grammatical rules for news writing, at some common mistakes and how to correct them.

Interviewing politicians

There is a fine art to interviewing politicians. You need to understand their motivation, realise they will have a script, not allow them to complicate matters, refuse to be sidetracked, and retain an open mind.

Essential elements of a news story

Pyramid journalism and the essential elements for writing a news story.

Journalism training in Africa. Image by David Brewer shared via Creative Commons

How to succeed as a journalist

Journalists should be accurate, first with news, trusted, easy to understand, straight, aware, disciplined and realistic.

Image to illustrate covering and event - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

How to cover an event

This guide offers comprehensive advice for anyone looking to cover an event, from meticulous preparation and strategic on-site actions to ethical interview techniques and capturing compelling visuals.