How to be a journalist in the digital age

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How to be a journalist in the digital age

By The Guardian Masterclasses

Date and time

Sunday, September 14, 2014 · 10am - 4pm GMT+1

Location

The Guardian

Kings Place 90 York Way London N1 9GU United Kingdom

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.

Description

Learn how to make the leap from reader to writer and get your story out fast

Readers' opinions are no longer relegated to the letters pages of newspapers. Today, as media critic Jay Rosen famously suggested, "the people formerly known as the audience" play a key role in employing press tools to inform one another about the world. Whether you are a seasoned citizen journalist or just starting out, this essential primer will teach you how to find stories and make your voice heard online and in print.

This course brings together some of the Guardian's most prolific writers to show you how to make the best use of social media, blogs and digital sources. Senior feature writer Jon Henley will discuss new ways of storytelling using social media and interactive multimedia, and will show you how to connect with an audience to crowd-source experts and eyewitnesses. Senior political correspondent Andrew Sparrow will demonstrate the key skills you need to produce broadsheet-quality news journalism – from sourcing stories and building an audience to finding your editorial voice and navigating media law. News reporter Peter Walker will cover how reader input, social media and other digital sources have transformed reporting, while former Comment editor Becky Gardiner reveals what editors look for in a pitch; how to make yours stand out, and how to get your story out fast.

This course is for you if...

  • You're new to writing and want to break into the industry through citizen journalism
  • You're curious about citizen journalism and want to learn more about how to get involved
  • You work in the media and want a better understanding of open journalism and online news consumers
  • You're an experienced journalist who wants to expand their digital skillset or information-gathering abilities
  • You work for NGOs, lobby groups or similar and will need to submit advocacy pieces to comment pages and websites

Tutor profiles

Jon Henley is a senior Guardian feature writer and former foreign correspondent who has reported from the paper from western and eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic states, Afghanistan, west Africa and south America. He was the paper's Paris correspondent for nearly 10 years. His work has been shortlisted for several awards including Feature Writer of the Year and Best Digital Innovation. His recent work using Twitter
to report the effects of the economic crisis on ordinary people in southern Europe has won international recognition, and he also wrote the Guardian's groundbreaking and award-winning multimedia interactive Firestorm.

Peter Walker has been a journalist for 15 years and is a news reporter for the Guardian. He previously worked for the Press Association and Agence France-Presse in London, Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris, and freelanced for CNN and the BBC, among others. He has also reported from countries including North Korea, Iraq and Kosovo, worked as a news editor and covered politics, business and education news. At the Guardian he also runs the popular Bike blog.

Becky Gardiner joined the Guardian in 1998 as Women's editor. She was Comment editor from 2010 until April this year, and has held a number of other positions including Education editor, deputy editor of G2 and launch editor of Family. Becky is currently editing the Bedside Guardian and working on special projects for the editor.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Organized by

Welcome to Guardian Masterclasses – a unique programme of learning embedded within one of the world's most forward-thinking media organisations.

We offer a broad range of short and long courses across a variety of disciplines from creative writing, journalism, photography and design, film and digital media, music and cultural appreciation.

Harnessing the expertise and specialisms within the organisation, our courses are led by first class and award winning guardian professionals whilst also drawing on the skills and expertise of other leading figures at the forefront of the creative and digital industries.

The programme is aimed at anyone interested in personal or professional development whether that be refining your skills, focusing your ambition or simply broadening your mind and gaining inspiration.

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