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Media Helping Media is hosted by the Fojo Media Institute at Linnaeus University.
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: Spotting errors in writing
All journalists must check their writing, but it is often difficult to see our own mistakes. Try our checklist of tips to help you spot errors.
Quick Guide: Motivating news teams
Aspiring editors must inspire, not just instruct. Learn how to foster a creative environment and lead your newsroom to success.
Quick Guide: Interviewing politicians
Interviewing politicians is an vital skill for a journalist. Your role is not to win an argument, but to act as a bridge between those in power and the public.
Quick Guide: Writing a radio news script
Radio journalists must write clear scripts that weave together compelling audio clips, ensuring listeners understand a news story’s significance.
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: 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: 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: Avoiding self-censorship
Avoid the self-censorship trap with our quick guide checklist. Learn to identify warning signs and discover practical ways to protect your editorial voice.
Quick guide: Discrimination trauma in journalism
Modern newsrooms present unique professional and psychological pressures for minority journalists, with hidden challenges around identity and language.
Quick Guide: Avoid editorialising in news
Journalism should be fact-based and impartial. Understand why news reporters must leave their opinions at home to guard against conscious and unconscious bias.
Quick Guide: News writing
Journalists must research, identify a story, and choose a sharp angle. Learn how to refine your material and decide what to cut for maximum impact.
Quick Guide: Story leaks and tip-offs
This checklist sets out how journalists should handle story leaks and tip-offs, starting with the essential first step: verifying the source.
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