Organised by The Guardian
Joseph Harker leads this highly practical masterclass that will give you the skills and confidence to break into a career in journalism.
It is sometimes thought that to make it as a journalist you need formal training or a prestigious degree. In fact, with a good idea and the tools to turn it into a strong pitch, you could already be on your way to breaking into the industry and helping to shape our political and culture conversation.
As this masterclass with the Guardian’s senior editor for diversity and development, Joseph Harker, will demonstrate, lived experience is one of the most crucial ingredients to a career in journalism. In this hands-on evening class, you will learn how to identify what editors are looking for and how you can marry this with your own ideas, as well as how to develop your niche and become an expert on a particular topic.
Prior to the course, you will be invited to complete a short piece of written work, plus a pitch for it, that you’d send to a Guardian commissioning editor. A selection of these will be reviewed live in the class - though don’t worry; if you’re not yet at the stage where you feel ready to write or pitch, this class will equip you with the tools to get to that level.
In this rare opportunity to gain crucial industry insights, you will also learn how to cope with rejection and why tenacity and determination is so important to succeeding in a career in journalism.
This course is for …
- Anyone looking to break into, or find out more about, journalism - no matter their level of experience
Course content
Routes into journalism:
- The many pathways
- Joseph’s background in journalism, and how it led to his current post at the Guardian
- Bursaries, internships, mentoring and more
- Are degrees and journalism qualifications essential?
Having the idea:
- Knowing what you want to write
- Developing your specialism and expertise
- The different journalistic personality types
- Staying authentic - always be yourself
Pitching:
- Where to pitch
- Starting your portfolio
- What makes a story interesting - and more likely to be commissioned
- What editors are looking for
Breaking free of self-doubt:
- How to deal with rejection and ask for feedback
- Finding your way if the organisational culture or hierarchy doesn’t represent you
- Building a support network
- Drawing on your life experience to thrive
- Developing confidence and determination
Tutor profile
Joseph Harker is a Guardian columnist and is the Guardian’s senior editor of diversity and development. He is a former deputy Opinion editor and before coming to the Guardian he was editor and publisher of the weekly newspaper, Black Briton. He writes about race, politics, sport and culture, and more. View his Guardian profile here.
Course Details
- Date: Thursday 3 November 2022
- Time: 6pm-8pm GMT
6pm GMT | 7pm CET | 11am PDT | 2pm EDT
This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
You will be sent a link to the webinar two hours before the start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have not received the access link within one hour of the scheduled start time.
All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.