Basics

What's the best preparation for a career in journalism? Media Helping Media asked some experts in the field what they look for when hiring staff.

Another training module based on material from The News Manual, used with permission. Here we will discuss: who journalists are and what they do; why people become journalists; and what qualities you need to be a good journalist.

A sub-editor is happiest when given copy that reads well and needs little rewriting. A writer or reporter is happiest when their copy is printed with the fewest changes to their original.

How to enhance the quality of filmed interviews, including the use of lighting, avoiding distractions, calming nerves, and making the interviewee feel good.

This module was written for trainee journalists in Zimbabwe who were keen to learn how to produce in-depth video reports about life in their remote rural communities.

The beauty of citizen reporting is that it can be fast and fresh, down-to-earth and uncomplicated, and, sometimes, reach areas not always covered by mainstream media.

Here we consider what makes one thing worth reporting, while another thing is not. We offer a test for news which can work in all societies. We consider what makes some news stories stronger than others.

Women make up just 24% of those heard, read about or seen in news output. And only one in five experts interviewed by journalists are women.