Media Helping Media

A converged newsroom operates like a content factory, responsible for all intake, production and output. It gathers and processes raw material, creates different products, and delivered them to the target audience.

Introducing a story weighting system helps prioritises effort on the stories that are of most value to the target audience, it saves time, speeds up production, and helps avoid wasted effort.

This section deals with how refugee communities can set up and operate a successful news organisation in areas which are often poorly covered by the mainstream media.

This module looks at how media organisations need to plan ahead to produce original content that informs the public debate and covers the issues of most concern to the target audience.

The audience, empowered with tools to choose, create, enrich and share, is the new superuser offering alternative sources and channels of information to those of mainstream providers.

Knowing your audience, understanding the issues they face, and being aware of what they think about society - and your media organisation in particular - are important factors for fine-tuning what you offer in order to better inform the public debate.

How should a reporter respond when someone uses emotional pressure and threats to try to stop them doing their job? In this scenario we look at a situation where a reporter is begged not to cover a story, and then threatened with violence if they publish. What would you do?

This scenario looks at some of the issues that need to be considered when deciding whether a story is in the public interest.

Journalists often come under pressure with threats of legal action if they don't publish or broadcast what others want. In this scenario we look at a scenario where a reporter is sent a cease and desist letter and told legal action will be taken against them if they don't add 'positive-spin' to an article.

For international media training to be successful, tried, tested and proven case studies from a similar region are needed. Theory has limited value, as do examples of what works in the West.

One of the first steps in delivering training is to articulate the ground rules. Participants need to know what to expect, what is expected of them and how you intend to schedule course elements.

What it takes to be a media trainer Media trainers must have recent, valid experience of all they teach. They need to understand the pressures...