Certificate course
Journalism and Editorial Standards
The professional standards and editorial processes that make journalism credible: sourcing, verification, independence, fairness, source protection and accountability.
This certificate is one of six that support Media Card applications. The Media Card is administered by EurAV European Audio Visual CLG, not by EANE.
See all six courses in this collection ≈ 77 minutes total11 credits to earn the certificate
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion, learners will be able to:
- ▸Explain the public-interest purpose of journalism and the processes that protect it
- ▸Verify and corroborate material before publication
- ▸Handle allegations, replies and corrections to a professional standard
- ▸Report on vulnerable people and traumatic events without adding harm
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Compulsory modules · all 11 required
What journalism is for: public interest and accountability
How journalism serves democracy by holding power to account, and how to tell the public interest from what merely interests the public, in capitals and small towns alike.
Sources: primary, secondary and the single-source problem
How to judge where a claim comes from, how close and how motivated the source is, and why one anonymous source is a lead rather than a story.
Verification and fact-checking in practice
How to trace claims to their source, test images, documents and statistics, use experts well, and keep a record of what you did and did not confirm.
News, analysis, opinion and advertising: keeping the lines visible
How to keep reporting, analysis, comment and advertising distinct through labelling, language and design, so readers always know what they are reading and who paid for it.
Editorial independence and commercial pressure
How advertisers, owners, politicians and sources distort editorial judgement, and the structures and habits that let journalists resist without pretending money is irrelevant.
Allegations, fairness and the right of reply
How to put allegations to their subject, allow time to respond, report silence and replies fairly, avoid implying guilt, and handle live court cases.
Interviewing responsibly
How to conduct interviews that are honest about who you are, how material will be used, and what you have agreed with the person you are speaking to.
Confidential sources and source protection
How to protect confidential sources in practice, what you can honestly promise, and what to do before a court or other authority demands your notes.
Reporting on vulnerable people and traumatic events
How to report on grief, trauma and vulnerability with care: consent in shock, children, survivors, suicide guidance, death knocks and looking after yourself.
Headlines, framing and presentation
How headlines, question forms, images, captions and standfirsts can claim more than the reporting supports, and who answers for them when they do.
Corrections, complaints and editorial accountability
How to correct errors in proportion, handle complaints fairly, work with self-regulatory bodies, and deal with a story that misleads without containing a false fact.