Online reporting means the news now travels as fast as a story develops. But while the advent of digital news has put powerful new tools at journalists’ fingertips, it has also given readers greater expectations for online journalism. This illuminating evening course, led by senior Guardian feature writer Jon Henley, explores the new opportunities created by digital platforms, and how to use them to tell a powerful story readers will care about.
Using examples from the Guardian’s award-winning, multimedia reporting projects, the event explores how to build flexibility into a story, allowing you to stay abreast of developments as they happen, and build on your existing content to provide a deeper, richer experience for readers. You’ll also learn the fundamental storytelling principles that underpin all quality journalism, online or in print, as well as the best ways to use social media to source stories, cultivate contacts and grab the attention of an online audience.
Using Jon’s experience leading the Guardian’s award-winning digital projects Firestorm and Greece on the breadline, you’ll also discover how to collaborate with experts from other disciplines to incorporate film, photography, infographics and other media into your story, and ensure all content is pulling in the same direction.
This course is for you if...
- You’re a print journalist who wants to update your digital skillset
- You’re a news blogger who wants to know more about good storytelling, including how to spot, research and report high quality stories
- You’re a journalism student who wants to know how professional journalists incorporate digital storytelling into a modern newsroom
- You’re a website editor or PR for an NGO who wants to know more about turning your organisation’s activities into compelling stories to attract new audiences
Course description
This intensive evening course examines the common factors present in all good feature stories, and explains the theory behind open journalism, illustrated with examples from two of the Guardian’s successful digital feature projects. The principles are further explored through a short practical storytelling exercise. Topics covered at the event include:
- Why – and how – journalism in the digital age has to be different
- How to use (and not use) social media to source and tell stories
- Why writing for the web changes the way journalists write
- How to spot a good story
- The fundamentals of good storytelling, in print and online
- How to tell one story across several different platforms
- Multimedia storytelling: how to write for multimedia
Tutor profile
Jon Henley is a senior Guardian feature writer responsible the Guardian’s acclaimed series Greece on the Breadline and groundbreaking, multi-award-winning multimedia interactive Firestorm. Over a 20-year career on the Guardian, Jon has reported from more than 30 countries and all five continents, including a ten-year stint as the paper’s chief Paris correspondent. Read Jon’s Guardian articles here.
Testimonials
Very engaging, the presentation was spot on. An excellent storyteller!
The innovative @jonhenley makes journalism that is brilliant, creative and inspiring.
If you ever get the chance to go to one of @jonhenley’s feature writing @guardianclasses, you totally should.
Details
This course has now passed – but we update our programme all the time. For information on our full range of masterclasses, sign up to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, or keep an eye on our calendar.
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
