Hosted by the Fojo Media Institute
Media Helping Media is hosted by the Fojo Media Institute at Linnaeus University.
Journalism 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.
The inverted pyramid
The inverted pyramid model puts key news first, followed by supporting details, with the least important background information at the base of the article.
News sources and the ‘so what’ factor
Every news story needs at least one reliable source that is able to share information that helps the journalist get to the facts.
The questions every journalist should ask
There are six questions that journalists should consider asking. They are What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who?
Language and style
Learn how to write clear, impactful sentences for better understanding and discover why choosing the right language is essential for your readers.
Fact-checking and adding context
Journalism is about far more than gathering information then passing it on. An essential part is to examine everything we discover to make sure it's factual.
Clichés, journalese, and jargon
Journalists need to recognise and then avoid using journalese, jargon, and clichés. Their writing must be clear, easy to understand, and informative.
What is takes to be a journalist
Journalists should be accurate, first with news, trusted, easy to understand, straight, aware, disciplined and realistic.
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.
The roles of reporters and sub-editors
The professional working relationship between news reporters and sub-editors is a crucial factor for ensuring quality control and the speed of production.
The importance of diverse perspectives
Diverse perspectives and facts are vital for accurate journalism, helping to reveal the true complexity behind the news through varied viewpoints.
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. One of them is SIFT.
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Content released under Creative Commons
The content on Media Helping Media (MHM) is released via Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0.