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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: 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.
Quick Guide: Lateral reading for fact-checking
Journalists use lateral reading to fact-check by broadening their knowledge. But what is it, how does it differ from normal reading, and what are the benefits?
Quick Guide: Using quotes in journalism
Quotes are a journalist’s most powerful tool. Used well, they bring stories to life, add credibility, and let audiences hear directly from sources.
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: 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: 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.
Quick Guide: Reporting on health
Reporting on health is a major responsibility. To succeed, journalists must blend core reporting skills with a sharp understanding of science and data.
Quick Guide: Producing radio news bulletins
This checklist is designed to help journalists produce an informative radio news bulletin that meets the needs of the listeners.
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: Creating a story plan
This checklist is designed to help news journalists include the most important elements of a story when covering a complex issue.
Quick Guide: Visual storytelling
TV reporting is about letting pictures tell the story. Here is how to build a package by thinking visually first to engage your audience.
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.
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