In this lesson students discover why maintaining detailed records of news stories is essential for accuracy and covering news in depth.
It’s based on the article ‘The importance of keeping records‘, which we recommend you read before adapting this lesson plan for your own purposes.
Introduction
Accurate record-keeping is a fundamental pillar of professional journalism. It serves as a safeguard against legal challenges, a tool for maintaining accuracy, and a method for building trust with audiences. This day-long lesson is designed to equip media trainees with the practical skills and ethical understanding required to maintain rigorous notes and archives, ensuring their work is robust and defensible.
Sessions Timetable
09:00–10:00 – Session 1: The foundations of record-keeping
Aims: To understand why record-keeping is vital for credibility and legal protection.
Presentation: Outline the core reasons for keeping records: protecting against defamation claims, ensuring accuracy in quotes, and providing a paper trail for investigative work. Use material from the link to discuss how notes prove what was said and when.
Activity: The trainer tells a detailed story. Trainees must recount it 15 minutes later without notes. Compare results to demonstrate the fallibility of memory.
Discussion: Discuss the potential consequences of losing a notebook or deleting a digital file. What happens if a source denies a statement three months later?
10:00–11:00 – Session 2: Note-taking techniques and best practices
Aims: To master the physical and digital methods of capturing information accurately.
Presentation: Present the MHM guidelines on formatting notes: dating every entry, numbering pages, and clearly marking ‘on the record’ versus off the record comments.
Activity: Trainees watch a short five-minute speech and practice taking shorthand or fast-form notes. They must then transcribe three verbatim quotes.
Discussion: Is digital note-taking (on a phone or laptop) as reliable as a physical notebook? Discuss the pros and cons of each.
11:00-11:15 – Break
11:15–12:45 – Session 3: Recording audio and video
Aims: To understand the legal and ethical nuances of recording devices.
Presentation: Cover the importance of recording interviews as a secondary backup. Explain the necessity of informing subjects they are being recorded (ethics of secret recording).
Activity: In pairs, trainees conduct a five-minute interview using a recording device while also taking manual notes. They must потом compare their manual notes against the recording for discrepancies.
Discussion: When is it appropriate to record without permission? Discuss the ethical threshold for public interest versus privacy.
12:45–13:45 – Lunch
13:45–15:00 – Session 4: Organising and archiving records
Aims: To develop a system for long-term storage and retrieval of journalistic material.
Presentation: Detail how to archive notebooks and digital files. Using the MHM content, explain the importance of keeping records for at least the duration of the local statute of limitations for libel.
Activity: Trainees are given a messy ‘digital folder’ of files and must create a logical naming convention and folder structure (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD_Subject_Source).
Discussion: How do we protect sensitive source information in our archives? Discuss encryption and physical security.
15:00-15:15 – Break
15:15–16:15 – Session 5: Legal challenges and the burden of proof
Aims: To prepare trainees for the reality of legal scrutiny.
Presentation: Focus on how a well-kept notebook is a journalist’s best defence in court. Explain how contemporaneous notes are viewed by legal professionals.
Activity: One trainee acts as a lawyer questioning a journalist on a story written six months ago. The journalist must use their notes from Session 3 to defend their quotes.
Discussion: Discuss the chilling effect of poor record-keeping – how fear of being sued can stop important stories from being published.
16:15–17:00 – Session 6: Ethics and source protection
Aims: To balance the need for records with the duty to protect confidential sources.
Presentation: Address the tension between keeping records and protecting sources. Use MHM material to discuss when records should be redacted or destroyed to protect a life.
Activity: Trainees draft a personal record-keeping protocol – a one-page document outlining how they will manage their notes moving forward.
Discussion: Final group reflection on how professional record-keeping changes the way a journalist is perceived by the public.
Assignment
Trainees are required to produce a 400-word news report based on an interview they conduct this week. They must submit their final copy alongside their original contemporaneous notes and a link to the audio recording. The notes must show clear dating, source identification, and evidence of a logical archiving system.
Materials needed
- A4 and A5 shorthand notebooks.
- Digital voice recorders or smartphone recording apps.
- Handouts on local defamation laws.
- Example of a well-organised digital filing system.
- Laptop/computer for archive simulation.
Assessment
- Participation: Engagement in roleplay and group discussions.
- Quality of notes: Accuracy, legibility, and adherence to the MHM formatting guidelines (dates, page numbers).
- Archiving: Effectiveness of the file-naming convention created in Session 4.
- Consistency: The degree to which the final assignment reflects the submitted notes.
Summary
This lesson plan provides a comprehensive framework for teaching the essential skill of journalistic record-keeping. By moving from the theory of legal protection to the practicalities of archiving and ethical source management, trainees will understand that their notebook is their most valuable asset. For further reading and context, refer to the original article below,
