Looking to spruce up your journalism skills for free? YouTube videos are a great way to do so on-the-go, even if you only have a little amount of time (and don’t want to fork out lots of cash for short courses!). These are some of the best Youtube channels to learn journalism skills.
#1 European Journalism Centre: https://www.youtube.com/@EuropeanJournalismCentre
The European Journalism Centre (EJC) is a non-profit foundation founded to support journalism organisations in Europe and ‘help journalists and media to innovate and flourish.’ Their website already has many great guides – particularly for freelancers – but their YouTube channel aso includes many videos with practical advice on some of the key skills most journalists could need such as personal branding, how to best use social media; growing your audience on Instagram and TikTok tips, or how to make data a useful tool for journalism. They also have more niche advice for those looking to specialise in certain elements, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) in elections coverage, using Twitch as a journalist, tools to investigate global issues, and pitching training for freelance journalists.
#2 The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ): https://www.youtube.com/@nationalcouncilforthetrain624
The NCTJ is one of the leading training scheme providers for journalists in the UK. Most journalists will have either sat or considered sitting the NCTJ diploma or at least heard of it. During Covid, the NCTJ published a series of videos as part of their Journalism Summer School, covering important aspects and skills every journalist needs, such as media law, media ethics, fact checking, how to tell a news story, and more. Even better, these videos are all only roughly ten minutes in length – perfect to pick up some new skills while out on a walk or a lunch break. Other useful videos include ‘How to get your first job in Journalism’ and their panel talks on ‘Safety and Resilience for Journalists.’
#3 International Center for Journalists (ICFJ): https://www.youtube.com/@ICFJournalists
ICFJ is a global journalism network looking to help its members ‘produce news reports that lead to better governments, stronger economies, more vibrant societies and healthier lives.’ It provides a whole array of tips and advice that ‘builds the expertise and digital skills journalists need to deliver trustworthy news’ on its website. However, its YouTube channel also has helpful videos that are useful to enhance your reporting skills, such as covering the climate crisis, guides to undercover investigative reporting, solutions journalism, and ‘disarming disinformation.’
#4 Journalism.co.uk: https://www.youtube.com/@journalismnews
Journalism.co.uk is a website with news, jobs, and training content for journalists and newsrooms.
While not updated regularly currently, their ‘So you want to be..’ series introduces and talks about different roles such as being a travel reporter, investigative journalist or video journalist and are great if you are starting out and trying to see what skills you need if you’re hoping to specialise in a certain niche.
#5 PressPad: https://www.youtube.com/@presspadUK
We can’t miss out on our own YouTube page, of course. Through our PressPad Remote training programme we had some amazing speakers share their wisdom during masterclasses on all sorts of important skills you could need as a journalist, including how to report on the environment, introduction to freelancing, how to write a newsletter, a Q&A with journalist Sirin Kale, and so much more.
Is yours missing? Email us at content@presspad.co.uk with the subject line: “Best Youtube channels to learn journalism skills” with the details of your Youtube channel to get our team to look into it.
