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.

Graphic for a Media Helping Media Training Tool

Tool: MHM Story Builder

Interview training for radio journalism students in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, image by David Brewer of Media Helping Media

Introduction to interviewing

TV newsroom in Bangladesh - image by Media Helping Media

Constructing a TV news package

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.

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.

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

Citizen reporting to citizen journalism

This article was written for a group of young citizen reporters from remote rural communities in Zimbabwe who were learning how to become journalists.

Image by Rafael Anderson Gonzales Mendoza released via Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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.

Graphic for email interviewing created with Gemini AI

How to carry out an interview remotely

Here we look at some of the important issues journalists face when interviewing sources in another location via electronic media rather than face-to-face and in real time.

Image of woman and taj mahal by Google Gemini

Including the human angle in journalism

For news organisations to succeed, they must attract and retain audiences. The human touch is vital for building trust and engagement.

sub-editor and reporter working on a story. Image created with Gemini AI

The roles of reporters and sub-editors

In newspapers, a streamlined workflow, characterised by minimal editorial intervention, benefits both reporters and sub-editors, ultimately enhancing the publication's quality.