The reason for this site

Media Helping Media (MHM) exists to provide free training resources for those involved in the media in transition states, post-conflict countries and areas where the media is still developing.

I set it up in 2005 because I felt that many areas of the world were being neglected in terms of support for the media.

Western media development agencies do a great job, but they can't be everywhere. Also, their interventions are usually time-limited.

Some have excellent exit strategies that involve local capacity building through skills transfer. But some project just end, and in those instances the journalists on the ground are often left with no follow up support.

Journalists left without support

It was after one such intervention that I decided to do something about it.

I had just reported back to the media development agency that had hired me and asked what was to happen next.

The team I had been helping had been so enthusiastic and wanted to progress to the next level in their journalism.

I was told by the media development agency, in no uncertain terms, that the project was over.

It was at that point that I made up my mind that a site was needed that all could access containing journalism resources that all could use.

And that's the simple purpose of Media Helping Media, to make shared journalism training resources available to all.

Training resources

All the material on this site is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike policy, which reads:

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. Others can download and redistribute your work just like the by-nc-nd license, but they can also translate, make remixes, and produce new stories based on your work. All new work based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also be non-commercial in nature.

Reproducing content

All the modules are uploaded to Media Helping Media in that spirit. However, if you want to reproduce the half a dozen of the basic training modules which contain edited versions of modules from The News Manual you will have to seek permission first. Those articles will be clearly marked with The News Manual logo (right).

Finances

The site has no sponsors or funders. We have a few Google Ads running but I have moved them down the pages so that they don't get in the way of the content. I pay all costs out of the proceeds of my media development work.

Support

Media Helping Media was developed after a chat with my former colleague and friend, fellow journalist Bob Eggington, over a beer during one of our many walks. Patrice Schneider and Claus Solvesteen,both media development colleagues, pitched in some thoughts, too.  Former BBC journalist Bob Doran has volunteered (Bob joined the team in January 2012) to help out checking some of the articles published on the site.

Technology

Online genius Bikram Adhikari often gives his time, free of charge, to help with technical matters because, he says, "I like to help those who help others". Thanks to Bikram for his ongoing support and advice.

White Firs Design upgraded the site from Joomla 1.0 to Joomla 1.5. This site would like to thank White Firs for the quality and speed of their work and going the extra mile to ensure all worked properly.

The site is hosted by Falcon Media. The owner, Paul Large, let's me test new applications on his server, which is a great help. Thanks to Paul for his ongoing help and support.

Mistakes

Many of the modules written for Media Helping Media are bashed out in departure lounges or on planes. I don't usually have the luxury of a second pair of eyes, and I am useless at spotting my own mistakes.

So all I ask in return for using the site is that you let me know if you see any errors. There will be many. You can drop me a line using the site's contact form. I'd really appreciate it.  Hopefully many of the mistakes will be spotted and corrected by Bob Doran now he has volunteered to provide a second pair of eyes.

Contributions

And all contributions are welcome. If you have an idea for a training module. Or if you are training as a journalist and need a module writing, please let me know. The more the merrier.

I hope you find Media Helping Media useful.

David Brewer