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Quick Guides
Our free quick guides are short checklists designed as self-teaching aids highlighting the main points from some of our training articles. All are linked to the articles they summarise. Visit our site map for all the content in this and other sections.
Quick Guide: Respecting privacy in news
Journalists must balance privacy with robust public interest reporting. This might require necessary and justified interference to ensure thorough coverage.
Quick Guide: Evidence-based reporting
Journalists should always rely on facts rather than feelings. Evidence-based reporting means your stories are built on data, documents, and witness accounts.
Quick Guide: 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.
Quick Guide: TV news packaging
Creating a news package for television is a rewarding challenge. It is the art of telling a complete story using a mix of video, sound, and words.
Quick Guide: Packaging for radio
Building a radio news package is about more than just reading facts; it is about using sound to paint a picture for your listener.
Quick Guide: How to deal with press releases
Press releases serve the issuer’s agenda, not yours. Treat them as a starting point. Verify, add context, and, if appropriate, turn them into impactful stories.
Quick Guide: Writing clearly
As a journalist, facts are vital. While accuracy provides the truth, clarity ensures your audience actually understands it.
Quick Guide: Making a documentary
Documentary making can feel daunting for new journalists. Follow a structured process to turn simple ideas into powerful visual journalism.
Quick Guide: Attribution in journalism
Master news attribution and referencing by following our checklist for ensuring your reporting is accurate, credible, and avoids plagiarism.
Quick Guide: Citizen journalism
Learn to turn simple observations into professional news stories. This guide covers adding depth and context to your reporting.
Quick Guide: Court reporting for beginners
Reporting on legal proceedings is a vital part of journalism, but it requires strict discipline and a clear understanding of the law.
Quick Guide: Assessing news value
As a journalist, your primary job is to find information that is interesting, relevant, and important to your audience. Not every event is news.
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The content on Media Helping Media (MHM) is released via Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0.