Journalism

Our journalism section covers essential skills and techniques across all formats and experience levels. From foundational reporting principles to advanced storytelling methods, explore comprehensive resources designed to strengthen your craft and deepen your understanding of modern news media. All our material is free to download, adapt and use. Scroll down our site map for all the content in this and other sections.

Introduction to interviewing

Radio production training Jaffna - image by Media Helping Media

Constructing a news package for radio

An image of a journalist writing on a computer - image by Google Gemini AI

In journalism, good writing is plain writing

Image of a confidential document changing hands - created using Imagen 3 by David Brewer of MHM

Handling story leaks and tip-offs

A critical factor for journalists when handling and disseminating leaked material is the need to take account of the motives of the leaker.

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A journalist must not have an agenda

Our role as journalists is to unearth information, prepare it and then display it for the benefit of the audience. We are not there to fabricate, manipulate or force.

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Avoiding manipulation

One of the roles of the journalist is to scrutinise the decisions made by politicians and report the implications to the public.

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Why would anyone want to talk to a journalist?

An investigative journalist has to encourage people to share information that they had previously withheld.

Graphic for a Media Helping Media Training Tool

Tool: Motive, veracity, and security (MVS) matrix

This free Media Helping Media matrix is designed to help journalists assess the risks and benefits of investigating a tip-off or a leak.

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Investigating corruption

A journalist investigating corruption faces many risks and challenges. Investigative journalist Don Ray shares his experience.

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Why editorial ethics are important

The Media Helping Media ethics section is designed to help journalists navigate some of the challenges they might face as they go about their work.

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Integrity and journalism

Without integrity your journalism is untrustworthy and suspect. Integrity is essential if a journalist wants to investigate issues, shine a light in dark places, and to dig where others don't.

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Is your journalism ethical?

Reliable journalism is based on applying strict editorial ethics to all we do so that we can examine the issues that have the most impact on the lives of our audience.

From our Scenarios section

Tea and biscuits - image by Media Helping Media released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Returning favours – scenario

In this scenario a naive reporter's early success with a government minister leads to an ethical dilemma when a 'favour' is demanded in return.

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Journalistic integrity – scenario

In this scenario a political correspondent working for a broadcaster is asked to speak at an event organised by a political party - but there is a catch.

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Privacy protection – scenario

You are working on the online news desk of a large media organisation. News breaks of fighting overseas. Raw footage arrives showing identifiable dead bodies. What do you do?