Newsroom Training Help

I am not a newsroom trainer, though I am sometimes confused for one. I occasionally teach Internet workshops, but that’s small potatoes (a cliché a newsroom trainer would frown upon) compared to the terrific work that real newsroom trainers and training editors do week in and week out (another cliché).  

The best trainers change journalistic lives and make our work better. Just this week, I was telling a group of visiting journalists from western India about the role of newsroom trainers; they listened in amazement because, they said, such professional development was unheard of in their newsrooms. Yes, I know some of us hate management-mandated training sessions but there are always new tips and tricks we can benefit from.

Trainers are a giving group and here’s proof: No Train, No Gain (notrain-nogain.com). It’s a site that offers resources for trainers around the world, but writers, reporters, and other media folk can make use of it as well. Even though it’s aimed at newspaper newsrooms, there are universal tips on display. The site is run jointly by Steve Buttry of the Omaha World-Herald and Dolf Els of Media 24, a South African publishing group, on behalf of members of the informal NewsCoach discussion list hosted by The Poynter Institute.

No Train, No Gain is divided into topics such as newsroom training; managing excellence; recruitment and retention; diversity; and technology. In each section, you will find articles and tip sheets that can help you deal with real-life situations, for example: covering disasters; writing good photo captions; and telling your story in “layers.” There are also links to training seminars from other institutions, as well as a list of speakers available to help train others.

You should also check out Buttry’s Poynter piece, “Steal This Article: Notes on Newsroom Training,” for more of his thoughts on the training process. 

If you are looking for a list of training opportunities that are available to journalists, you should bookmark JournalismTraining.org, a site created to “provide a centralized location for journalists seeking information about professional development opportunities. The site brings together those seeking training and those best equipped to provide it. The centerpiece of the site is a searchable database of local, regional, and national journalism training programs arranged to easily find, compare, and determine which training best meets individual needs.” This project is run by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Council of National Journalism Organizations, with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
 
YOUR TURN: Want to share a site you find useful? Please e-mail a SHORT tip, including your name, affiliation, city, and phone number (for verification only) to poynter@sree.net.

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