Covering news is not just about reporting on unexpected and pre-planned events, it’s also about investigating beyond what is happening to find out why it has happened. And that is where ‘systems thinking’ comes in.

Journalists have a responsibility to report about the stories behind the news. We do this by adding in-depth research which adds context and helps the audience understand the issues being covered.

The team at Journalism + Design has created a free systems thinking toolkit for journalists based on exercises “developed through years of research and running workshops for news organisations”.

The toolkit contains an introduction to systems thinking for journalists, along with activities and ideas that reporters, editors, and newsroom leaders can use to explore new angles in their news coverage and help them explain complex situations simply and in a way that informs the public debate.

Media Helping Media is happy to recommend these free resources to all those who want to produce thorough, in-depth, and accurate journalism that enhances the understanding of the audience.

The Journalism + Design toolkit includes the following sections, each with exercises and corresponding slide decks that you can work through alone or with your team members. There is a helpful ‘how-to’ guide for those wanting to use the toolkit.

Apply a systems lens to your journalism

Journalism + Design says the tools have been created …

“… to help reporters and editors brainstorm creative opportunities to cover entrenched problems that don’t have easy fixes. Use them to explore the systems at the heart of your reporting and expand the possibilities for your journalism”.

Exercise 1: Visualise the systems in your reporting

“This exercise offers a simple tool called the iceberg model to help you dig deeper into individual events you’re reporting on and trace the underlying patterns, structures, and ideas that are producing them” – Journalism + Design

Exercise 2: Create a guiding vision for your reporting

“This exercise is geared to help you reflect on your own metrics for success, the motivations driving your reporting, and the potential for impact within the systems you’re reporting on” – Journalism + Design

Exercise 3: Identify key stakeholders + information needs

“This exercise can help you whether you’re starting a new project or beat, want new ideas for sources, or are interested in understanding the different people, organizations, and communities who can inform your reporting and help you understand the system you’re covering” – Journalism + Design

Exercise 4: Map your story as a system

“This exercise offers a simple tool for mapping an issue or beat you’re covering to look for new angles for your reporting and connections to explore. It can help you visualize the many forces at play in the systems you’re covering and the connections that drive them” – Journalism + Design

Exercise 5: Uncover patterns in your story

“During the reporting process, we see how the issues we cover are often perpetuated by cyclical patterns. We call these patterns feedback loops, which are a series of forces that connect to one another in a cyclical way. Feedback loops are the foundations of many systems and dictate how they function. While feedback loops can be hard to see and articulate, this exercise can help you identify core patterns that are at the heart of a problem you’re reporting on. Once you start uncovering feedback loops, it’s likely that you will start seeing them everywhere” – Journalism + Design

Exercise 6: Uncover assumptions + beliefs driving the system

“This exercise is a way to surface and interrogate our own assumptions, and those that fundamentally drive the nature of the systems we cover” – Journalism + Design

Exercise 7: Questions to ask and habits to build

“We’ve put together this list of habits you can build and questions to ask throughout the reporting process to help you take a systemic view and strengthen the impact of your journalism” – Journalism + Design

The post Systems thinking for journalists first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Is your news organisation and its output male dominated? Are women fairly represented in newsroom leadership roles and the stories covered? Do your staff and your news agenda reflect the society they serve?

A 12-point plan containing “substantive opportunities to reshape the status quo” and improve the representation and voices of women in the global news industry was published in November 2022. We look at the steps suggested and examine the possible consequences.

The report Outrage to Opportunity looks at the representation of women in newsrooms in India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK, and the USA.

Luba Kassova, the report’s author, says in-depth interviews with more than 40 senior editors in the six countries revealed two areas of concern:

• The “underrepresentation” of women in news leadership roles.
• The “invisibility” of women in news coverage.

Kassova’s research revealed a “cultural exclusion” of women in news leadership roles and found that the voices of women “remain muted in a global news industry”.

However the study also recognises that progress is being made. It looks at 168 existing initiatives which aim to improve women’s representation or inclusion in news.

And it identifies practical steps that could be taken to “include the missing perspectives of women of all colours in news leadership and coverage”.

The report says that taking these steps could open up significant business opportunities and that “global revenues in the newspaper industry would increase by a cumulative $11bn by 2027 and $38 billion by 2032“.

This article looks at those 12 practical steps that could be taken by news organisations. They are listed below with the author’s permission.

The 282-page document – embedded at the foot of this article – sets out three areas which the author says “requires the news industry’s urgent attention”.

1: Inclusion

The report found that women are still on the margins of editorial decision-making in the highest-profile news areas. In the major journalistic specialisms such as business, politics, and foreign affairs, women hold as few as one in six editorial roles in the countries researched. Occasional instances of parity, for example South African political editors or US business editors, are counterbalanced by exclusively male leadership in political editor roles in countries such as Kenya and India.

2: Race

According to the report, women news leaders are subject to marginalisation in countries with multi-racial populations such as South Africa, the UK, and the US. This, the report says, is a news industry “blind spot”. In the countries examined their representation is significantly below their proportion in the working population. Kassova says that when interviewed, news leadership teams are either unaware, reactive, push back, or turn a blind eye to the problem.

3: Coverage

The report says the coverage of issues that affect women is disproportionate. Just 0.02% of news coverage globally focuses on the gaps between men and women in pay, power, safety, authority, confidence, health, and ageism. According to the report:

“Just having women in many leadership positions is not the only solution. You need women’s voices to be heard, and, when women are in leadership positions, for them to be in meaningful positions.”

Steps to be taken

The report outlines 12 solutions for:

“changing the status quo and improving women’s representation and inclusion in news leadership and creating a more balanced and inclusive news coverage that engages more female and racially-diverse audiences”.

News sector level 

1. Consolidate efforts at an industry level to enhance progress 

• Set up a body that unifies all working in this area under the umbrella of the gender equity cause.
• Nonprofits and associations working to improve women’s position in news should collaborate more and compete less.
• Develop industry-wide initiatives that aim to understand women audiences.

News organisational level

2. Conduct a comprehensive gender diversity audit across all elements of the news operation

• Carry out an audit of the existing gender balance and news initiatives for women along all the elements of the value chain.

3. Make the gender diversity strategy explicit

• Agree the goal to pursue gender balance in your news organisation and coverage and make it explicit in the organisation’s strategy.

News leadership level

4. Improve the representation of all women

• Raise awareness that male-favouring norms prevail in society and in journalism.
• Be intentional about change at all levels within your news organisation by setting targets and measuring representation continuously along the whole news value chain.
• Challenge the persistent soft vs. hard news gender stereotyping that keeps women out of editorial roles in high-profile areas such as politics, economics, and foreign affairs.
• Develop talent retention programmes, especially for mid-level managers.

5. Improve specifically the representation of women of colour

• Measure women’s representation to understand the role of race and ethnicity when overlaid onto gender.
• Review recruitment and retention processes to accommodate diverse talent.
• Establish and measure targets for representation and inclusion of women of colour.

6. Improve the inclusion of all women in decision-making

• Ensure everyone understands that a more diverse team does not automatically translate into inclusive decision making.
• Consciously tone down the competitive win-lose journalistic values inside the newsroom to create a more empathetic culture.
• Encourage support groups for women, with men on board.
• Use employee engagement surveys to measure employees’ and leaders’ perceived inclusion.
• Set up initiatives that specifically support individual women’s safety and well-being.

7. Improve specifically the inclusion of women of colour in decision making

• Beware of knee-jerk reactions to external trigger events which lead to superficial solutions.
• Educate yourself about the stressful experiences of women of colour in your news organisation.
• When considering a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative, bring in experts to run it rather than allocating it to staff with lived experiences but no formalised expertise.
• Do not expect women or ethnic minority groups to lead and resolve their own underrepresentation or exclusion. Offer support.
• If you are a woman of colour, do not take on DEI initiatives if this is too emotionally draining.
• Measure and track the success of DEI initiatives. Establish baselines before the initiatives start.

Newsroom and journalism level

8. Improve the representation and inclusion of women in newsrooms 

• Implement recommendations for gender diversity in the workplace from the “Gender Parity in News Checklist” in ‘The Missing Perspectives of Women in News’ report (p. 166). The two-page checklist is embedded at the foot of this article.

Newsgathering and news coverage

9. Improve the representation of all women

• Focus on circumventing the five main biases in journalism (status quo, male bias leading to gender blindness, short-term outlook, reductive journalism, organisations’ unwillingness to report on themselves).
• Measure the impact of your women-centric journalism.
• Make your newsroom more inclusive and accessible through outreach training.
• Ensure the sustainability of interventions to diversify contributors: keep them simple, get backing from both the top and the grassroots, and, ideally, make them voluntary.

10. Improve storytelling about women of all colours

• Look for story angles that appeal to both women and men.
• Use more micro angles in storytelling, including human stories to make macro stories relevant.
• Increase news coverage of seven gender gaps (power, pay, safety, authority, confidence, health, and ageism), which are wider for people of colour.
• Introduce inclusive storytelling and encompass the perspectives of different communities and audience groups about how a particular story affects them.

11. Improve the portrayal of all women

• Recognise that the portrayal of women of all colours in the news is an industry blind spot.
• Start measuring the use of common gender or racial stereotypes in your news coverage.
• Focus on expertise rather than identity when interviewing women contributors.
• Conduct portrayal analyses to understand how news contributors are portrayed.

News consumption and impact

12. Reframe the case for change to include the business opportunity of serving women audiences 

• Develop a business plan for increasing revenue from women audiences whilst still retaining men’s readership.
• Research and develop women-friendly news products and formats.
• Track women’s engagement and consumption.
• Track the impacts of any new strategy (on finance, brand, individuals, influencers, and decision-makers).

The business case

The report says gender equality in news makes business sense. It claims that if the “addressable gender consumption gap” in the global news industry is closed there could be a potential cumulative revenue opportunity of $43 billion between 2023 and 2027 and $83 billion between 2023 and 2032. See the section of the report covering business opportunities (part 4, chapter 2).

Outrage to Opportunities

The entire 282-page report Outrage to Opportunity is embedded below.

The report was produced by the international audience strategy consultancy AKAS, and published by Internews.

The gender parity in news checklist

This checklist appeared on pages 166 and 167 in the 2020 report by Luba Kassova “The Missing Perspectives of Women in News“. It is republished here with the author’s permission.

The post Ensuring female representation in news leadership and coverage first appeared on Media Helping Media.

This is a short training module setting out the basics for creating a news package for TV. It’s been created for those starting out in TV journalism. We have embedded a pdf of our training presentation at the bottom of this module. You have the option to open it in full screen or download and print it. We hope you find it helpful. Let us know if you have any questions by using the contact form.

No pictures, no story

The golden rule for all TV news is “no pictures, no story”; pictures provide the “what” – words provide the “why”.

Storytelling in pictures

• Three skills are necessary: Reporting, camerawork and editing
• You need at least a basic knowledge of all three
• The guiding principle: let the pictures tell the story

First steps – what is the story?

• Who is the subject?
• What are they doing?
• Why, and what is their motive?

Research – the evolution of the story

• Find out what has happened
• Uncover the who, why, when, where, and how of the story
• Ensure you understand fully all the elements

Next steps – plan your news-gathering

• Be sure you know what story you want to tell
• Discuss it with your camera operator
• Decide what shots you are going to need

How the elements work

• The hook – grabs the attention
• The context – gives essential background
• The unfolding – the details of the new story
• The wrap – reiterates the main points or throws the story forward

At the scene – get enough shots

• Anything showing action: arrivals, establishing shots, walking shots, noddies, cutaways, sitting-at-a-desk shots, interesting locations etc
• Film faces, especially those showing emotion
• Avoid getting to the edit suite without the shots you need

Interviews – what are we looking for?

• You will need only one or two short clips
• What will tell the story best? Emotion, analysis, an eye-witness account?
• Be neutral in your tone

Interviews – the skill is in the questions

• Don’t ask questions that can be answered with yes or no
• Don’t ask two questions in one
• Use the old favourites: who, what, when, where, why, and how

The stand-up – a.k.a. piece-to-camera

• Why are you doing it?
• How does it help with the story-telling or the editing?
• If it is really necessary, keep it short

Back at the office – consult and agree

• Make a shot-list
• Show your editor the pictures
• Agree on the treatment of the story

At the edit station – choose the pictures first

• Identify the shots which best tell the story
• Decide their optimum length
• Choose the right sequence (not necessarily in which they were recorded)

Editing dos

• Make sure each shot joins up smoothly with the next
• Keep points which attract the eye in the same area of the screen at changes
• Remove anything that can be cut without damaging the flow of the story
• Make a shot list of the finished edit
• Try to let the pictures tell the story
• Let the images speak and add as few words as possible
• With walking shots, end with them walking out of the picture if you can

Editing don’ts

• Don’t use the same shot twice in a package
• Don’t use jump cuts
• Don’t use the first question from an interview – start with the answer
• Don’t start or end a moving shot with a static shot
• If you cut away from an interview or a press conference, do not go back to it
• Don’t use noddy shots in edits; it could come across as agreement
• Don’t split clips and use them out of sequence

Packaging – putting it all together

• Understand – the story and the pictures you will need to tell it
• Capture – action, emotion, atmosphere, editing shots
• Discuss – agree the treatment with your editor
• Edit – use pictures to tell the story
• Script – add as few words as possible to complement the pictures

The post Constructing a news package for TV first appeared on Media Helping Media.

This is a short training module setting out the basics for creating a news package for radio. It’s been created for those starting out in radio journalism. We have embedded a pdf of our training presentation at the bottom of this module. You have the option to open it in full screen or download and print it. We hope you find it helpful. Let us know if you have any questions by using the contact form.

Technique – using sound to tell a story

• Imagine your voice going into a listener’s ear
• Use your voice expressively – plenty of variation
• The tone should be sympathetic to the story

Actuality – enriches your script

• Find good people to interview
• Look for complementary sounds which are relevant to the story
• If it’s a story about dogs, you need barking

Chronology – the evolution of the story

• Find out what has happened
• Uncover the who, why, when, where, and how of the story
• Ensure you understand fully all the elements

Atmosphere – sound effects

• Record enough wild track at the scene
• Wild track is background noise
• It’s useful because you may need it later in the editing process

Sensing – being there

• At the scene, explain what you are sensing
• Describe what can you see, hear, smell and touch
• Avoid explaining how YOU are feeling

Feeling – emotional impact

• Ask your interviewees what they feel
• Find out if they are afraid, sad, hopeful, happy
• What YOU feel doesn’t matter

Perspectives – what people think

• Seek out multiple perspectives
• Look for diverse voices
• Never ignore conflicting opinions

The so what factor – what happens next

• Find out what are the next steps
• Explain why those steps are important
• Note any future events & meetings for follow up purposes

Putting it together – sounds in harmony

• Use short clips from your wild track and interview
• Use your script to bind them together in a logical way
• Keep your links short

The post Constructing a news package for radio first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Fake news is not new, it’s been around for thousands of years. Throughout history there have always been attempts to fool and confuse the public and distract attention from the truth. However, in recent years disinformation has become much more widespread, and it constitutes a direct challenge to honest, truthful reporting. So what should journalists do about it?

Fojo Media Institute has an excellent free resource called Fojo Check containing tools for journalists wanting to brush up their skills in fact-checking.

Annelie Frank, the project manager for Fojo’s fact-checking hub Faktajouren says many know about fake news’, but not many understand what it is.

“It’s not news, because news tells us what’s really happened even if mistakes occasionally are made. I don’t think a lot of people fall for fake news on fake news sites nowadays. The public has been educated on source criticism and on how the media works. The former US president has practically kidnapped the term with his attacks on traditional media. Fake news is not the big problem. But disinformation is a greater threat. These kinds of stories contain quite a lot of truth. A government decision can be described correctly, but relevant information will be left out and thereby the big picture is muddled.”

We spoke to a range of experts involved in training journalists, and we asked them how to spot fake news and deal with it. Responses listed alphabetically.

Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Thi Thuy Hang – Director, Center for Further Training of Professional Journalists (VJTC), Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA)

“In 2021 the VJTC conducted five training workshops for journalists in identifying and checking fake news, disinformation and misinformation.

“Fake news often appears on social networks. They have catchy and often shocking headlines to attract attention. As an internet user, I often read through the information, then look at the link (URL).

“Misinformation often comes from fake news websites which are created to appear almost identical to the original websites.

“When in doubt I cross check the date and the event to see if the information is published on other newspapers or news sites. If the news is discussed by other sources, such as mainstream newspapers, there’s a high chance that news is true. However, for journalists, they still need to verify the information with sources to gather evidence in order to confirm that the news is accurate.

“When I find misinformation being spread, I often post on my family’s and friend’s groups on social media to tell them that the information being shared is fake and that they shouldn’t believe it or circulate it. However some people still circulate misinformation even though they are suspicious of the information being shared via social media links.”

Sanjoy Hazarika is a former reporter for the New York Times, author and documentary filmmaker. He is co-convenor of the South Asia Media Defenders Network (SAMDEN) and currently Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). He is the founder of the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES).

“I encourage journalists to access well-known resources and organizations which flag, challenge and disseminate information about fake news and their media handles. Every major country has a few dedicated persons focusing on these critical issues. In addition, the answer to fake news is to place the facts on any issue in the public domain.

“Another way — slower than getting a news break from a reliable source but reliable — is to use freedom of information/right to information laws which exist in many parts of the world.

“Journalists have won national and international awards by anchoring their reporting about key government issues of public concern on right to information (RTI) requests. RTI has become an important tool for media to investigate official wrongdoing. The facts can’t be disputed because they come from the original source: the relevant government department.”

Naomi Goldsmith – journalism trainer and media consultant

“I personally think there is no such thing as ‘fake news’. If the information is fake, then it’s not news.

“News, of course, should always be accurate, and where there is uncertainty or controversy – this should be made clear.

“There are people who knowingly or mistakenly create or pass on information which is not accurate, and this can more precisely be referred to as disinformation and misinformation.

“Disinformation – like dishonest – means it’s deliberately false. Misinformation – like mistake – means there wasn’t a deliberate intention to create or pass on false or misleading information. It was a mistake.”

(Naomi has written a longer piece for this site about dealing with disinformation and misinformation).

Jaldeep Katwala – writer and journalist

“Look at the source. Is it an organisation you trust? If the information comes to you via social media from a friend of a friend or someone you vaguely know, be particularly suspicious.

“Does it sound credible? Are the sources quoted recognised and traceable?

“Beware of opinions masquerading as facts. Always ask what is this person’s perspective and ask if they are trying to support an outrageous statement with partial or unlikely facts.

“Journalists are gatekeepers of information. We check the validity of what we are told and then share it with the audience once we are sure it is accurate, honest and truthful.

“Sometimes journalists fail in this regard, so information published by other news outlets also needs to be tested.

“If you’re not sure that information is correct don’t pass it on. Be subjective but don’t be obsessive.

“In your work as a news gatherer be sure to cast your eyes and ears widely in an attempt to include multiple perspectives. Don’t limit yourself to a personal echo chamber cut off from the real world and other points of view.

“Keep an open mind, listen to diverse opinions, and always check and double check all the information you come across before passing it on to those who turn to you for reliable information.”

Richard Sambrook – Emeritus Professor of Journalism at Cardiff University

“Fake news is a phrase used to cover many different sorts of problems – and sometimes used to undermine legitimate journalism. Basically there is misinformation – information which is unintentionally wrong and simply needs correcting – and disinformation, which is deliberately wrong and intended to mislead.

“The problem of disinformation isn’t going to go away. The tools of disinformation are getting more sophisticated. For example, artificial intelligence can now manipulate audio and video to make it appear people have said things they have not said.

“So how can you spot Fake News? Ask some basic questions:

• Who is saying this? Is the source clear and are they who they say they are (e.g. is the website url genuine?)
• Where are other voices, views and sources on this topic? If there are none – be suspicious.
• Why are they saying this? Is it to inform? persuade? entertain? educate? Or might it be to mislead?
• When was this said? Is it contemporary or is it a picture or quote taken out of context from the past to mislead about a current issue?

“When misinformation or disinformation is found, it needs to be corrected. But that alone may not be enough. In the end, serious journalists need to commit to high standards of accuracy, fairness, providing evidence, reporting a range of views and being open about their purpose and accountable if mistakes get made. Openness and transparency are the best means of winning trust.

“Understanding fake news and verification techniques are built into core journalism modules at Cardiff University.”

The post How to identify and deal with fake news first appeared on Media Helping Media.

In this article we look at the steps involved in creating a news and current affairs programme for a national radio station. The information below is taken from a series of modules created for a training course delivered in Africa by one of the Media Helping Media team.

The following sets out some of the important steps involved in creating a radio news and current affairs programme.

All the elements listed below are taken from training modules on Media Helping Media (MHM), which in turn represent training courses delivered by MHM trainers worldwide.

Identifying the audience

The first step is to identify the audience and its information needs.

Advertisers use a tool called ‘audience segmentation’ in order to identify existing and potential customers. They then ‘target’ that group in order to sell their products.

They gather information about segments of society based on likes, dislikes, lifestyle, current product usage, interests, aspirations, and media habits.

A smart media organisation needs to do the same. It needs to know who it is creating content for and understand the interests and concerns of that audience.

Advertisers use segmentation to ‘superserve’ several audience groups in order to focus effort to achieve maximum return.

Journalists can adapt this strategy to ‘superserve’ clearly defined target audience groups whose information needs reflect those of the whole audience. Consider the diagram below.

Think of it like peeling an orange. Inside you’ll find nine segments. Each segment represents an audience group.

One segment might be farmers, another youth, and a third businessmen and women.

If you examine the information needs of each group you will find that there will be considerable overlap at the centre. This is your unique editorial proposition.

See our training module ‘Identifying the target audience and its information needs’.

Unique editorial proposition

The overlap in the segments shows about a number of issues that affect the majority of the audience.

Covering these issues will set you apart from the competition. It tells the audience that your station is where they will find the news and information that is most relevant to their lives.

You do this by planning editorial coverage that addresses those issues. This is about producing original pro-active in-depth journalism that digs deep and asks searching questions.

Gather your team and list the issues that impact the lives of your three main target audience groups.

Try to find at least 10 issues. Then try to find at least 10 topics on each issue, and finally try to find three original stories to illustrate each topic.

By the end of the exercise you will have 300 original stories. Revisit those stories twice a year and you have 600 stories, which is almost a dozen exclusive stories a week.

These stories are managed by your forward planning editor.

The graphic below shows this exercise carried out by MHM working with a media house in Africa.

See our training modules ‘Establishing a market differential with original journalism’ and ‘Strategic forward planning for media organisations’.

Themed weeks

Now you have a list of the issues, topics and stories you will be covering during the year you can introduce ‘themed weeks’.

Once a month you should consider tackling an important issue in depth with original journalism that explores angles ignored by others.

For March you might want to do Transport week, for April, Health week, etc. Below is a suggested year plan for monthly themed weeks starting March 2022.

Forward planning

In order to maintain a structured programme format, and to ensure a steady flow of original issue-led journalism that continues to inform the public, detailed and meticulous planning is required.

And that planning needs to be long-term planning, as opposed to planning for tomorrow’s programme or next week’s programme. This is often referred to as forward planning.

Your planning editor should have:

• A wall chart setting out the stories to be covered for the entire year.
• A list of all the agreed issues, topics, and stories the programme editors have decided to cover.
• A clear plan, agreed with senior editors, of what in-depth stories will be prepared for certain months – ideally following the model of a themed week examining a particular issue during one week of each month.

The planning editor is also responsible for keeping a log of follow-up dates.

This means that when stories are covered, a date is automatically put in the shared forward planning calendar setting out when that story should be followed up to find out what happened next. Questions will be asked about whether promises made by politicians etc were met.

Following up is essential because, otherwise, the audience is not fully informed. They will be looking to you to keep on top of a story – particularly if it affects their lives – and cover the story’s development.

Guest bookings

Working with the planning editor will be a news producer or researcher who is in charge of guest bookings. They are responsible for keeping a record of who is invited on to the programme. They need to ensure the best possible contributors, with a diversity of voices and views in an attempt to represent all strands of opinion across the country.

They need to keep a record of who was invited on to the programme, what was discussed, and their contribution.

The planning editor must attend all news meetings and must have a say in what is covered.

The person in charge of the day’s output – the editor of the day (EiC) – needs to be able to rely on the planning editor to supply at least one original story a day.

Shared planning calendar

A useful tool for the planning editor, and the whole team, is a shared online calendar. You can use any of the free options that are available. Google calendar works fine for this, but there are others.

The planning editor needs to set up the newsroom planning calendar and plot all the events that have been agreed so that everyone is aware.

News and current affairs meetings

A radio news and current affairs programme will typically have several news meetings a day.

The first will be immediately after the morning programme has been broadcast. This is the main meeting of the day. It’s a disciplined time-limited meeting led by the EiC. It’s business-like and follows a set pattern.

Five minutes – review

The first five minutes will be spent considering the programme that has just been broadcast.

In this section of the meeting the EiC will encourage discussion around what went well and what didn’t go well. Analysing your failings is the most important and useful part of the learning process, so that the news team, and the output it is creating, continually improves.

In this section of the meeting the EiC also attempts to draw out ideas about how to follow up any important developments or leads in the next morning’s programme.

Twenty minutes – planning

After the review the EiC will pass round a list of the stories she or he wants to be covered along with a list of the current stories covered by print, broadcast, online, and social media.

At this point participation is encouraged. This list will have been produced in advance by a newsroom researcher or producer working with the EiC. Everyone will be given a copy.

Presenters, producers, reporters and researchers are then invited to share their ideas about fresh angles to take on the topics set out by the EiC.

The team will also discuss story treatment such as whether a package, interview, or vox pop needs to be produced.

The EiC will then agree the story hierarchy in terms of importance to the audience.

At this point everyone involved in the production process will have a clear idea of what is expected for the next morning’s programme.

Twenty minutes – pitching

The EiC then goes round the room giving those gathered the chance to suggest story ideas.

Every journalist involved is expected to have a story idea. At first, people may find this challenging and uncomfortable, but the EiC needs to encourage collaboration and draw on the experiences and contacts of their team.

A journalist might not have a specific story idea to put forward, but they might have a point of view that is worth exploring. They might have read something hidden in a newspaper report that is worthy of following up. They might have a personal experience relevant to a current news story.

Five minutes – summing up

The EiC will then sum up what has been discussed and make clear what each member of the team is expected to do.

The entire meeting should last no longer than 50 minutes. Discipline and a sense of urgency is essential.

Minor update meetings

Three more minor update meetings take place over the following 24 hours. These should total no more than 45 minutes.

The afternoon meeting (15 mins maximum) follows the lunchtime TV and radio bulletins when the production team gather to check on the progress of the stories being produced for the morning and also consider whether any changes need to be made to the running order in light of news developments during the first part of the day. The EiC might be involved in person or via phone, video link, or instant messenger.

The next meeting (15 mins maximum) follows the evening news bulletins when the production team considers whether any adjustments need to be made in light of any breaking or developing news. Again the EiC will need to be consulted and informed.

The final news meeting will be early in the morning immediately before the programme is broadcast. The production team and anchors will meet briefly (15 mins max) to check the running order, assess any overnight developments, and go through the morning newspaper and website editions.

Planning meetings

As well as the daily meeting format suggested above, weekly forward planning meetings must be held. This is where the planning editor presents an update on the items being produced.

Broadcasting formats

Essentially, a radio news and current affairs programme has four main format types. These are:

The interview

This is where the presenter interviews someone in the news. It could be about the main story of the day. If it is the most important story this interview would take place immediately after the main news bulletin. It should be between around five minutes long, although this could be stretched to 10 depending on the seriousness of the topic. There will also be shorter interviews throughout the programme.

The reporter package

A package will be put together by a reporter or correspondent and will include a number of clips of people the journalist has interviewed. A package will typically be about three and a half minutes long and contain three or four clips. Each clip will be about 20 to 30 seconds long. The package can be pre-recorded or live.

The two-way

This is where the presenter interviews a reporter or correspondent covering a story. It is designed to tap into the journalist’s background knowledge of the story being covered and is sometimes used before a main interview. A two-way can vary from between 90 seconds to five minutes depending on the importance of the subject matter.

It is different in tone from interviews with outside contributors. When the presenter is interviewing someone from outside on a big story, the tone will often be adversarial, pressing the interviewee on important points. In a two-way with a reporter, the presenter is simply trying to draw out the most important facts in a neutral tone.

The vox pop

This is a mix of clips from members of the public who are giving their reactions/opinions on a news story. This should be no longer than three minutes long.

Structure of a current affairs programme

The main purpose of the show is to cover the news and get reaction to it. So the main ingredients are news bulletins, with interviews and longer reports about the individual news items.

There is more to it than that.

There will also be other information vital to the listener, including weather forecasts and sports news, plus perhaps business news, summaries of what is in the newspapers, programme trails for the rest of the network and so on.

These all need to fit together in a regular pattern, so that with familiarity, the listener gets to understand how the programme works. You can think of this as arranging the furniture of the show.

You will probably want your main news bulletins to happen on the hour, perhaps with summaries on the half hour. These are the first fixed points.

The weather and the sports news should also happen at exactly the same time each morning – just as they appear in the same place every day in a newspaper.

The audience likes predictability in the way the content is presented, so that they know when to tune in for the information in which they are most interested.

When you are happy with your programme structure, the task for the production team every day is to think about how the news stories and interviews fit in.

Running order

Every edition of the show works to a running order. A rough running order is produced at the very first programme meeting and then modified and updated as the day and the night develop.

The following is a rough outline for a two-hour-long radio news and current affairs programme.

Exploiting content for maximum impact

Your production team should include at least one person monitoring the live output being produced by the programme.

This person is looking for newsworthy clips to package for the news summaries on the half hour and the main bulletins on the hour, and to illustrate live studio debates.

Your programme needs to be a breaking news production line, continually delivering original newsworthy clips.

This production role should also share all the breaking news clips from across all output and on all appropriate social media channels.

Creating a programme trailer

In order to attract new listeners, you need to create compelling programme trailers to advertise the material to be broadcast in the following morning’s programme.

This is essential, and has to be factored into the daily work pattern. The trailer must promote the main story of the day; the one in which you are planning to invest most resources.

Creating the sort of trailer that will stop people in their tracks and make them pay attention can help win over new listeners, introduce them to the subject matter to be covered on your programme, and, hopefully, encourage them to spread the word by mouth and social media.

A promo trailer should be around 30 seconds maximum, the shorter the better. You want to grab attention. Give the audience a snippet of what is coming up. You don’t want to give them too much, but just enough that they think “I must tune in tomorrow to hear more about that”.

And you want your trailer to be shareable on social media, so the better it is, the more chance it has of going viral. Ask yourself would you share the trailer with your friends? If not, work on it some more. And keep working on it until you think it has the quality to go viral.

Recipe for a good trailer

So how do you create an attention-grabbing radio trailer? Here are a few suggestions.

Encourage your reporter and producers to always be alert to an audio clip that sets out the scale of the issue, but doesn’t give the solution.

For example, you might be doing a story about the rural economy and how people are struggling to survive.

You will have interviewed farmers and villagers. One might say something along the lines of “I didn’t know how I would survive”. Such a quote will make the audience want to know what happened next. What did the interviewee do to survive? Could it be relevant to the listener’s own predicament?

That clip is less than five seconds long, yet it is likely to resonate with thousands of people in a similar position. Of course your piece will no doubt have examined the issues the farmers and villagers face, and you will probably have covered how they coped. But save that for the programme.

The next trick is to package that clip, and perhaps another, with a carefully crafted text that explains WHY people MUST tune in to your programme in order to learn more.

The wording is important.

You could use ‘calls to action’ where your trailer invites the audience to ‘listen’, ‘take part’, and ‘assess’.

Words that suggest drama work well, such as ‘revealed’, ‘for the first time’, ‘life and death decision’.

But you must remain honest. You are in the business of facts not fiction. Never exaggerate.

Another benefit of trailers is that it could encourage your competition, both broadcast and print, to tune in so they can follow up your story. And that’s a good thing. You want them to be following your lead, you want to be known as the station that sets the news agenda. Because by the time they have heard your news item you will have already moved the topic by inviting guests to respond live on-air.

Because trailers should be part of your daily output, you should probably consider creating a template so that it can be used every day.

Something like:

“In tomorrow’s morning programme we will be looking at (here you can mention up to three items), and we will be talking to xxxx about xxxx (insert short clip here).”

The post How to create a news and current affairs programme first appeared on Media Helping Media.

How do we know what is “news”? There are millions of things going on in the world all the time and only some of them become news stories.

A journalist is able to pick out the newsworthy items and turn them into stories that people will want to read and hear and watch. That ability is what we call “news sense”.

It is tricky to define.

It is probably an instinct and our own experience suggests that some people are born with that instinct while others develop it through practice.

We asked a number of experienced journalists to try to explain what news sense is, and how it can be developed. The following is what they said. We have listed the names of the contributors alphabetically.

When you’ve read their definitions, please feel free to suggest your own or offer examples of news sense at work on our Facebook page.

Rahnuma Ahmed, writer, and Shahidul Alam, writer, photojournalist, and social activist, Bangladesh.

“News is information that is of value which was previously unknown. Both criteria need to be met, but the criteria might not apply equally to all. It may well have been known to some and shielded from others, or of great value to some but not of equal value to others. 

“The death of an unknown child in a remote village, may have little news value to people far away, but be major news to the community. If it is symptomatic of a major pandemic that could affect millions, that same death might become news for the world. The treatment of that pandemic might have news value to pharmaceutical companies, to health workers, scientists, insurance companies and even undertakers. If none of these applied it would still have immense news value to the child’s mother.”

Jonathan Baker, formerly Head of the BBC College of Journalism and Professor of Journalism at Essex University.

“Old hands will tell you that what makes a story cannot be defined, but that they know one when they see one.   

“It’s true that instinct and experience are important elements of news sense. But anyone can make a good news judgement by asking a number of simple questions: 

 “Is it new? Is it important? Is it interesting or amusing? Who is affected by it? Is there a human element? 

 “You need to answer all of these questions through the perspective of your readers, listeners or viewers. They should always be foremost in your thoughts. Who are they? Will they want to know about this? Do they need to? Is it relevant to their lives? 

“The answers to these questions should help you decide whether or not a story is newsworthy, as well as helping develop an instinctive news sense over time.”

John Bottomley, former chief sub-editor and Head of Sport at Trinity Mirror Cheshire, England.

“News sense is an important component of a reporter’s skills. It is intuition, being able to recognise instantly what will make ‘a good story.’ A good journalist never loses the feeling of satisfaction at spotting one. And if the subject matter lies beyond the reporter’s ‘patch’ he or she will work hard to unearth a local angle to ensure the story isn’t wasted.

“Good news sense may itself inspire investigative journalism but is at its best when homing in on the makings of a one-off good yarn, one which doesn’t always have to a ‘big’ story, a quirky one is often just as good or even better. When ‘shark bite’ was spotted on the list of operations scheduled at the local hospital it was destined to be ‘a good story’ no matter how serious or frivolous the details.*

“Good new sense can involve identifying current news trends and following them locally. If a serious dog attack makes national headlines then any minor one locally can naturally assume a higher profile.

“News sense may often be intuitive but surely it can be taught. In local journalism this can go alongside getting to know the area so that a flip through the latest planning applications may flag up something of interest eg. plans to build homes on a well-known flood plain etc.

“Good news sense can see a good story revisited. The closure of a long established family-run village butcher’s shop can easily lead to follow-up stories: ‘The end of an era,’ ‘Death of the High Street,’ ‘The village that is dying’ (lack of public transport to the nearest butcher?) and may also inspire a website campaign or two. Plus there is the  bigger picture. Is the shop’s demise just about economics? What about changing eating habits? Does the closure of a butcher’s reflect the growth of vegetarian values nationally? Is the village now home to any new ‘artisan food’ shops or restaurants? And ultimately, you never know, a build-up to perhaps making the claim it is a contender for ‘greenest village in the UK?’”

* A baby shark at the local aquarium had bitten the arm of the keeper feeding him. He needed a bit of patching up, the event hadn’t really been that dramatic but that didn’t stop the story being front page lead in the local paper.

Justin Burke, publisher of eurasianet, a news and analysis website covering Central Asia and the Caucasus.

“News sense is the value added that experienced journalists give to observations of everyday events. It enables journalists to organise stories in ways that make it easier for readers to make sense of the news and understand why events are unfolding the way they are. It helps writers show how the past is shaping the present, placing current affairs in a broader context.  New sense also fosters forward-looking analysis that allows readers to make connections concerning current affairs, identify trends and be more aware of potential outcomes.”

Bob Clifford, formerly of the BBC.

“News sense is a form of involuntary reaction to things going on around you – the ability/gift/curse to be able to spot a potential story in virtually anything you see or hear. 

“It’s a bit like when the doctor taps that spot just below your kneecap and your leg jerks up. 

“Something happens – you react.

“You pass a man who’s smoking a pipe and it strikes you that it’s now a very rare sight – so phone the Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers for a story on how they see their future or lack of it.

“You watch a television personality doing a solemn piece to camera while walking among Commonwealth war graves and notice that, as usual, she has her sunglasses perched on top of her head. Isn’t that rather relaxed and disrespectful? Phone a veterans’ group for an angry reaction. 

“The electrician fixing your lights tells you he hasn’t had any Covid jabs because his wife is trying to get pregnant. Are there lots like him? Ask the NHS and others for figures and comment.

“You overhear a fellow bus passenger phoning their dentist to say they are running late. But they don’t say sorry and you realise that this isn’t the first time you have noticed this. Phone social commentators and etiquette experts to help work up a piece for the feature pages on the death of manners..  

“A good test:

“You leave home, get to work and the boss says the diary page is short of one last item, time is running out, and have you seen anything that can be turned into a couple of interesting paragraphs?

“If you have kept your eyes really open, and your news sense fully engaged, you should be able to come up with at least something of interest – which, in the end, is what journalism is all about.” 

Caroline Faraj, CNN VP, CNN Arabic editor-in-chief

“Many in our industry understand the term but find it hard to explain in words, simply because it is encouraging the young journalists to use their senses.

“I usually tell our young members or interns to use their senses and try to answer some questions, like: Is there a story here? Would our audience be interested in it? Is it relevant to them? Am I focusing on reporting the truth? If yes, do I have the story covered from all sides? Then when you have elements that can be considered worth a story, would I feel proud to add my byline on it? If yes, then I would encourage the young journalist to write it and own it too.”

Phil Harding, broadcaster and formerly Director of News for the BBC World Service.

“It’s what’s new, it’s what is interesting, it’s what is important. It’s what you think will interest your audience or readership but not just what they may already be interested in – or what they tell you they are interested in – it’s sometimes about telling them about something that they become interested in once you have told them about it.”

Vincent Kahiya, former group editor-in-chief Alpha Media Holdings Zimbabwe, including The Standard, NewsDay, and The Independent.

“Reporters must cultivate what’s called a “news sense” as an instinctive feel for what constitutes a big story. For an experienced reporter, the news sense often manifests itself as a voice screaming inside their head whenever a big story breaks. “This is important,” the voice shouts. “You need to move fast.”

“The main building blocks to having news sense are reading newspapers, watching/listening to news bulletins, and having an awareness about the relationship between readers and their environments; that is context.

“Now, you can drill the factors that make something newsworthy into young journalists – impact, loss of life, consequences and so on. But at some point the development of a news sense must go beyond routine learning and be absorbed into a reporter’s body and soul. It must be instinctive, part of a journalist’s very being

“But that won’t happen if a student isn’t excited about the news, because a news sense is really all about the adrenaline rush that anyone who’s ever covered a big story knows so well. It’s the feeling one MUST have if he or she is to be even a good reporter, much less a great one.

“You won’t make it as a reporter if you don’t develop a nose for news, if you don’t hear that voice yelling inside your head. And that won’t happen if you’re not excited about the work itself.”

Ivan Kuzmanovski, senior reporter, Sitel Television, North Macedonia.

“News sense is probably the first thing you will hear when you start working as a reporter. It is something more than following the rules of making the story, but establishing a real connection with the audience. You need to know what the public is interested in and give them the information they need at the right time. It does not matter whether it is a political event, accident, crime story, investigative story, natural disasters, health problems, pandemic, always have the needs of your audience at the forefront of your mind.”

TP Mishra, the Executive Editor of the Bhutan News Service, an all-volunteer-run news agency for Bhutanese refugees.

“As a Bhutanese refugee editing news for my community I always ask myself whether the story is of interest to me. If it is, then an intuitive feeling kicks in to help me explore the angles that are of most importance to those I am writing for.

“In 2004 I was the editor leading a small team that set up a newspaper for the exiled Bhutanese living in refugee camps in Nepal. Our newspaper, The Bhutan Reporter, had a clear purpose, to keep Bhutanese refugees informed about news related to the home they had left in Bhutan, and their new home in the camps.

“So we had well-defined areas of interests that we decided to cover on behalf of our readers. And that purpose helped us tune our news sense to meet that need. We just knew what mattered most to those we were writing for. And we could pass that on to new recruits who joined us.” 

Media Helping Media thanks all those who contributed to this piece. Feel free to add your definition of news sense on our Facebook page.

The post Developing and applying “news sense” first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Advice from those who do the hiring

An interview for a job in the media is often the culmination of weeks of hard work searching for opportunities, filling out application forms and waiting. So it’s important to make the best impression on the day. The following tips are offered by media professionals who’ve had experience sitting on the other side of the interview table.

1: Familiarise yourself with the output

Bob Doran media strategy consultant and trainer says you must prepare for your interview

“Make sure you are familiar with the programme, station, newspaper, or website concerned. Listen to, watch or read it regularly in the run-up to the interview. Or at least check it out on the Internet. As a programme editor interviewing applicants, I was amazed at how many said they didn’t actually listen to the programme. They never got very far. I reckoned that if they weren’t familiar with the programme, they wouldn’t be very good at working for it. And, most importantly, if they weren’t smart enough to realise that knowledge of the programme would help them at the interview, they weren’t smart enough to work for it.”

Tip: Do your homework

2: Media awareness

Make sure you know all about the strengths and weaknesses of your prospective employer’s main competition. Try to show where you can help your future employer establish a content differential and challenge the competition. You will have to have a good knowledge of the local media scene.

Those on the other side of the interview table will be aware of the threats and opportunities they face and they will expect you to have some understanding of where they are succeeding and where they are falling behind. They will expect you to know what they are up against.

Try to show where you can help your future employer establish a content differential and challenge the competition.

Tip: Ensure you have a good knowledge of the local media scene

3: Offer exciting ideas

You need to come out with some great, well thought through ideas including the necessary production elements. You will probably be asked what stories you would cover if you were working in the newsroom. That is not the time to stare at your hands and mumble. You should always arrive at a job interview with at least three well thought through story ideas.

You need to come out with some great, well thought through ideas including the necessary production elements. Don’t be worried about them picking up your ideas and running with them; it’s a gamble you need to take and part of the process of showing the value you would bring to the media organisation.

Tip: Prepare at least three story ideas for the interview.

4: Showcase your best work

Imelda Salajan a public awareness and media specialist from Indonesia says it’s important to prepare a portfolio of your best work.

“Don’t forget your show-reel or cuttings. The editor needs to hear your voice/see you on screen and judge your writing style. This is your chance to show off your skills – so make sure you pick a short but powerful selection from your published work. If you want to refer them to an internet version – make sure it is appropriate for the editor to see rather than showing them a general site where you have included flippant comments for your friends – as I was sent recently!”

Tip: Ensure you submit appropriate material.

5: Prepare like a professional

Mustafa Eric a media development officer at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says thinking through what you might be asked and preparing your answers in advance is crucial.

“Make sure to impress the interviewer with your knowledge and skills. As you get prepared for the interview you need to make a list of possible questions you will be asked and try to make ready your answers in a way that will bring out to surface what you do best. It will also depend very much on the type of reporting job you are applying for: Is it an all round journalism assignment for a community newspaper or will you be covering a certain beat for a broadcaster? Answering questions confidently helps, boasting around doesn’t.”

Tip: Think through what questions you might be asked in the interview

6: Stay positive and avoid any negatives

Put bad experiences to the back of your mind and focus on the plus points of your intended move. If asked why you want to leave your current job have a positive but honest answer.

I have seen good candidates miss out on being appointed because they spent too much time bad-mouthing their previous employer. It does you no favours.

When asked why you want to move be honest and straight but look to the future – and if you can’t see a positive in joining your new employer don’t turn up for the interview.

Tip: Never criticise your previous employer – it sends out bad signals

7: Sit up and look smart

If you slouch and mumble, play with your hands and look at the floor it might work against you. Those interviewing you will be imagining you representing them and their brand.  Also think through what you wear. You will be expected to turn up for the interview looking smart – it shows you have made an effort. You may never have to dress that smart again, but it will do no harm to dress properly for the interview. You will want the interview panel to have a good impression of you.

Tip: Many prospective employees fail to make the right impression because of the way they act (not say) during the interview.

8: Make eye contact and listen

An interviewee who doesn’t listen properly to the questions being asked is unlikely to progress. The questions that will be put to you will have been carefully worked out and checked. All the other candidates will probably be asked the same questions.

If you don’t respond properly, and instead push the points you want to make, you could miss out. Make sure you answer the questions you are asked

Tip: Be aware of what the interview panel want to hear, and listen closely to follow-up questions.

9: Don’t be afraid to offer constructive criticism

Those on the interview panel don’t want to be praised. They are looking for the perfect hire to make their output better.

You might be asked what you think of the media organisation’s output. Don’t just praise the good stuff.

Of course you should mention where they are doing well, but don’t be afraid to point out where they could do better – and when you do, make it clear where you can help them improve in that area.

They will have discussed any programmes that are not up to scratch, and if you can touch on those points with positive suggestions you may well tick a few of their appointment criteria boxes.

Tip: Try not to come across as a yes man/woman.

10: Interview for the next job

Editors will be looking for a candidate who will develop and grow. In my experience editors are seldom investing time and effort to hire for the current vacant position.

Although it’s important to convince them that you are the perfect candidate for the advertised post, you will also need to show them that you have ambition to develop and take on more responsibility if required.

Tip: Show your potential as an asset for the future.

And finally, say thanks

Even if you had a bad interview and it all went wrong, it’s always good to thank the interview panel. If you don’t get the job, consider dropping them a line thanking them for the experience. You never know, you might have been an also-suitable candidate, and you might get a call back if the person selected drops out.

The post Tips for journalists attending job interviews first appeared on Media Helping Media.

You are a reporter working on a newspaper in a coastal resort where there are plans to build a new leisure centre on the site of an old hotel complex dating back to Victorian times.

You sense that something is wrong when a local politician becomes an outspoken champion for the proposal, despite widespread opposition from environmental campaigners, historians, and residents. The politician says the development will be good for business and for the fortunes of the town.

While investigating the story you find that the politician has close business connections with the owner of the hotel who submitted the planning application and the developer who has had the building plans drawn up. It’s also emerged that the politician has links with a betting firm that plans to open a casino on the new leisure site.

Three years ago, when the Victorian hotel was extended, you accepted an invitation to attend the opening. There was a buffet and free bar. The party went on late into the night. The owner generously offered free accommodation. The next day you wrote a story for the newspaper which carried the headline “Victorian hotel given new lease of life”.

Now, three years on, as soon as you start to ask questions about the proposed new development, both the hotel owner and the politician remind you that you were quite happy to enjoy the hotel’s hospitality in the past and that surely you owe them a favour.

They ask you what it would look like if they let it be known that you were a journalist who liked to accept free gifts from local businesses.

They hand you a news release they have prepared along with some exclusive artist impressions of the proposed development and suggest you reproduce the material unchanged.

What do you do? Do you:

1. Talk to your editor, admit that you accepted hospitality at the opening event three years ago and leave it to your editor to decide how the story is covered.
2. Drop the investigative part of the story in order to protect yourself and your newspaper in the hope that by keeping quiet and not asking awkward questions your earlier involvement will not be revealed.
3. Take the news release and images from the businessman and publish the story the way they want it presented.

Suggested action

You should talk to your editor and admit that you had accepted hospitality from people who are now part of your investigation and that they have warned you not to explore the story any further. Share the information you have with your editor, set out the links you have uncovered, and enlist their support for continuing with your piece.

The only way to resolve such issues is by being honest and transparent in all your dealings and then learning that accepting what some might consider to be favours could compromise your work as a journalist.

Why this is the right answer

There is a saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch. This means that when you are given something free of charge, people often expect a favour in return.

For a journalist, this is particularly difficult. However, we are all learning and you will certainly not make the same mistake again.

You must talk to your editor, tell him or her all the facts, be totally honest, and move on.

Your newspaper owes it to its readers to tell the truth, and the story must be investigated, even if it proves embarrassing to you.

All the scenarios on Media Helping Media are based on real events.

Related training modules

Is your journalism ethical?

Integrity and journalism

The post Journalistic ethics – scenario first appeared on Media Helping Media.

You are a political correspondent working for a broadcaster.

A general election has been called. You receive an invitation to speak at a public event about the role of journalists in covering elections.

After your talk the people who invited you ask whether you would be prepared to do some private coaching for a number of politicians who were interested in what you had to say.

The fee suggested is five times the daily rate you receive from the media organisation you work for. They also hand you a gift as a ‘thank you’ for attending the event.

What do you do?

What do you do?

Do you:

• Accept the gift as a payment for your services, and agree to take on the media training for the politicians. After all, you have expertise that they seem to need and are willing to pay for.
• Hand the gift back, and explain that although you were happy to talk about the role of the journalist in covering elections, you are not interested in coaching politicians on how to manage the media.
• Go back to the office, resign as a journalist and take up a new career teaching politicians how to avoid tough questions and spin a line.

Suggested action

You should hand the gift back, and explain the situation to your editor.

It’s not wise for political journalists to get involved in training politicians. That is the job of public relations and communications professionals.

It’s fine to offer to speak about the role of journalists in covering elections, but it’s not a good idea to be rewarded by a political party, even indirectly.

Accepting gifts

It’s potentially dangerous for a journalist to accept gifts. They will never be free. There will always be a price to pay at some future date.

Your media organisation will have a policy on this. Usually, the best advice is to refuse gifts.

There may be some situations where a reporter or producer on a lifestyle programme is offered facilities to sample so that they can review  them.

In such cases the following rules should apply:

• Keep accurate records of what has been accepted.
• Always inform suppliers that they cannot refer to your news organisation in selling their products.
• Never offer suppliers any editorial influence in the programme you are producing.

Conflicts of interest

There must never be any situation where personal, commercial, business, financial or other interests have any bearing on your editorial decisions.

Typical situations where there could be a conflict of interest for journalists include:

• Public speaking/public appearances at events which have a political agenda.
• Media public relations training, where the journalist is asked to train business leaders or politicians in how to avoid tough questions and spin a line.
• Personal connections to charities, campaign organisations, and political parties.
• Accepting hospitality and personal benefits during the course of your work where there is an expectation of an editorial return.
• Personal financial and business interests associated with the stories you are covering.

Conclusion

It’s fine for journalists to speak at public events about their work; how those attending use what they hear is up to them.

But staff members of, or regular freelancers for, any media organisation should always obtain permission from their employers beforehand. As long as you are a journalist working for them, your actions reflect on them whenever you speak, appear or work in any other role you are offered that involves journalism. Your actions can affect your news organisation’s credibility and reputation.

What you should not do is work on behalf of one group or other in order to help them improve how they package and present their particular message and avoid tough questioning from journalists.

The political correspondent in this scenario didn’t do anything wrong, but was probably naive in accepting the invitation in the first place.

They really should have asked more questions about who was organising the event, who would be attending, and why it was being staged.

Related training module

Integrity and journalism

The post Journalistic integrity – scenario first appeared on Media Helping Media.