Advertisement

migration Paywall free

Sign up now for The Local's free training in constructive migration reporting

Catherine Edwards
Catherine Edwards - [email protected]
Sign up now for The Local's free training in constructive migration reporting

Applications are open for a third and final round of our popular Solutions Journalism for Migration Reporters course, run by The Local's journalists and offered free for journalists and students in the EU.

Advertisement

Note: We have now closed applications for training. If you are interested in receiving the materials, please email [email protected]

The curriculum is based on solutions journalism methodology, and how this can be adapted to the migration beat. As a news organisation founded by immigrants for immigrants, we know that migration can be good, bad and everything in between. We want to tell the whole story, and we know that a lot of other journalists want to as well.

During 2020, more than 100 journalists took part in the course from over 20 countries.

Advertisement

In a nutshell, solutions-focused stories are those that look into a response to a problem in a clear and critical way. That means investigating exactly how the response was carried out, examining any limitations or problems by reviewing the evidence, and looking into what we can learn from the idea.

This kind of reporting is one way journalists can help combat limited perspectives and damaging stereotypes, give their audiences a fuller picture of what's happening in the world without telling them what to think.

Read articles written by previous participants:

The training developed by The Local will cover best practices for reporting on migration, a step-by-step guide for finding and reporting a solutions-focused story (as well as guidance on publications, funding and awards that support this kind of journalism), and discussion on making reporting as inclusive as possible.

Each session is 90 minutes long, made up of a 60 minute lesson and a 30 minute optional discussion session. We will have a short break, and you are welcome to leave after the first hour if you prefer.

 

Advertisement

Frequently asked questions

I've never heard of solutions journalism before. Can I apply?

Yes! The course is for journalists at all levels of experience and will introduce you to a new framework for covering migration. As long as you are interested in constructive covering of migration-related topics, we think you will get something out of the course.

I'm already experienced in solutions journalism and/or migration reporting. Should I apply?

Yes! Experienced journalists and editors have participated in previous rounds of training and reported that they got something new from the course, including connecting with other journalists. If you are very familiar with solutions journalism, you can skip the first session, or you can join for a refresher.

Do I need to write an article as part of the course?

No. For this round of the training, there are no requirements for participants. However, our goal is to encourage journalists to incorporate solutions journalism into their work. If you do write an article using the techniques we cover in the training, please let us know so that we can tell our funders and share your work. 

How long are the sessions?

Each session is one hour long, with the option to stay on the call afterwards to ask questions. The questions and discussion section has been a valuable component of previous rounds of training, so we recommend that you allow one hour and a half if you can.

If the training materials are available online, why do I need to attend the sessions at the specific times?

We strongly recommend that you attend the sessions if you can because the materials will be explained in detail, and you will have the chance to ask questions.

Who created the course and who is running the training?

The course was created by a team of The Local's journalists as part of an EU-funded project. While designing the curriculum, we worked with the Solutions Journalism Network as well as with groups that work on migration reporting and directly with migrants. The training will be run by a team of The Local's journalists.

Why do I need to be based in the EU?

This is due to the funding that makes it possible for us to offer the training for free. If you are interested in the course but are not eligible, please sign up via the form anyway or email us at [email protected] and we will send you some of the materials from the training.

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also