Coronavirus

How Journo Resources Can Support You During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Jem Collins

Founding Director & Editor-In-Chief

March 29, 2020 (Updated April 20, 2020)

For all of you reading this, it probably feels like life is a little strange right now. It goes without saying that COVID-19 is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and whether you’re a freelancer, seasoned hack or student, you’ve probably felt an impact on your work and day to day life.

At Journo Resources we want to help in whatever small ways we can, as do our partner organisations and friends. Together, we’ve put together a package of as much support as we can, collating it in one place so you can see what’s out there to help you.

While we’re all muddling our way through to a certain extent, if there’s something you’d like to see from us that you haven’t spotted yet please let us know and we’ll do our best to make it happen. Equally, if you’re offering support and would like us to include your stuff on this list, just give us a shout.

Jump to support from:

Journo Resources
Student Publication Association
News Associates
PressPad
Akin Magazine
Women in Journalism

Journo Resources: Weekly Advice, One-to-Ones, Event Collaborations

Personal Advice on CVs, Pitches & More

Our team will be on hand to give you personal advice on anything you’d like us to look at, whether that’s your CV, a story pitch, or something else.

To get us to take a look at something just email it over to advice.inbox@journoresources.org.uk. You will receive a confirmation within three days and we’ll aim to get someone to look over your things within seven days. Do bear with us though; if things are busy it might take a bit longer!

In-Depth Advice & Inspiration, Delivered Twice Weekly

We’ll be upping our advice section content to twice weekly throughout this period to make sure we’ve giving you the support and resources you need. This will cover everything from sourcing funding and opportunities to working and reporting from home.

We’ll also be launching a new weekly series #MyHomeNewsroom, which speaks to various journalists who are now working at home as a result of COVID-19.

You can see all of our coronavirus content here, and a list of articles will be placed here once published:

You can also catch up with our new #MyHomeNewsroom series here:

An Increased Focus On Finding Jobs

We know that finding work at the moment will be one of the biggest struggles for our members, so we’re going to be stepping up our sleuthing skills to find you the best opportunities. Our jobs board will be updated several times a week, and where we can, we’ll be making our free opportunities newsletter longer.

You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram for up to date info on any new jobs and opportunities.

Free To Access Event Collaborations

Along with our partner organisations we’ll be collaborating on a series of free online workshops to help you up-skill or make the most of your current situation. We’ll be announcing more workshops with more partners soon, so check back regularly. Here’s what’s in the diary so far:

Finding & Snagging Your First Journalism with JR Founder Jem Collins with the Student Publication Association, May 2
Live Q&A on Instagram From Journo Resources Founder Jem Collins with PressPad, April 29, 12pm-1pm
SEO and Social Media with Student Publication Association, April 19, 5pm-6pm
How To Pitch Your Stories with News Associates, April 6, 2pm-3.30pm
How Student Journalists Can Cover Their Campus Remotely with Student Publication Association, April 4, 5pm-6pm

Student Publication Association: Career Development, Skills For On-Campus Reporters

Advice Articles & Resources

In collaboration with Journo Resources, the Student Publication Association (SPA) are putting together resources specifically tailored to student journalists. These will focus on career development and skills that can be learned at home. As these are released, we’ll list them here.

Workshops & Support

Also in collaboration with Journo Resources, the SPA are running various online workshops. Topics already covered include:

Covering your publication online
Social media and SEO

SPA regional and national officers will also continue to over personalised support to both individual and publication members on demand. For more information, take a look at their website.

News Associates: Free Online Lecture Series, Working From Home Together

Free Online Lecture Series

News Associates, the UK’s leading journalism school, is opening up a huge series of online lectures and workshops from now until the end of term. As well as insights from the News Associates team, they’ll also be welcoming journalists including Chris Mason, Christian Fraserand Ian Woods.

You can see the full list below – just head to the News Associates website to book your free place.

Pitching Stories with Journo Resources Founder Jem Collins (April 6, 2pm-3.30pm)
In Conversation With… Reuters Sports News and Football Correspondent Simon Evans (April 7, 1pm-2pm)
Interactive Breaking News 1 (April 8, 10.30am-1.30pm)
Interactive Breaking News 2 (April 9, 10.30am-1.30pm)
Introduction to Freedom of Information Requests (April 14, 11am-1pm)
Interactive Sports Journalism (April 21, 7pm-9pm)
In Conversation With… The Sun Premier League Football Reporter Tom Barclay (April 27, 7pm-8pm)
Interactive Breaking News 1 (May 12, 7pm-9pm)
In Conversation With… BBC Broadcast Journalist Christian Fraser (TBC)
In Conversation With… BBC Broadcast Political Correspondent Chris Mason (TBC)
In Conversation With… Sky News Senior Correspondent Ian Woods (TBC)

#WorkingFromHomeTogether

As well as supporting Journo Resources’ new series on working from home, the News Associates team are also posting videos of journalists sharing their top tips for working from home.

You can view the collection on their Twitter feed @NewsAssociates using the hashtag #WorkingFromHomeTogether.

PressPad: Weekly Blogs, Q&As, Webinars & Digital Mentoring

Weekly Blogs & Resources

The team at PressPad will be stepping up their blog content and making sure they publish something new every Friday. This will be mainly aimed at students and aspiring journalists, but they’ll also be things for a wider readership too. We’ll make sure to list them all here as soon as they go live.

Regular Q&As With Senior Journalists

PressPad are also planning Q&As with senior journalists, PressPad hosts and members of their partner organisations on everything from how to build your portfolio during a lockdown, to why class matters more than ever in the (virtual newsroom).

Some of these will be on social media, others will be via Zoom, others will be written. The first dates lined up include:

How To Get A Job After Lockdown with Laura Garcia, April 21, 7pm-8pm

Regular Webinars

The team also have a regular webinar programme planned, with topics set to include things like tackling misinformation while reporting, looking at how to set up a successful newsletter and how to pitch like a pro.

We’ll make sure to list the full details here as they become available.

Digital Mentoring

Personal one-to-one advice will also be available too, through new digital mentoring sessions with PressPad staff, ambassadors and hosts. More details will be available shortly.

Akin Magazine: Bookable One-on-Ones, In-Depth Advice Guides

Bookable One-on-Ones

The team at Journo Resources and Akin Magazine are collaboration to offer bookable one-on-ones to audit your social media, branding, or design to professional journalists, local businesses and others.

The slots will be free to those who would otherwise be unable to afford them and others will operate on a pay-as-you-feel basis, with all funds going to support independent media.. More details on how to book will be available soon.

In-depth Advice Guides

JR and Akin will also be collaborating on free advice booklets and PDFs, which will enable you to complete your own audit of your social media, branding and design. These will be published here as soon as they are ready.

Women in Journalism: Weekly Drop-Ins, Practical Advice

Weekly Drop-Ins & Community

Women in Journalism will be running drop-in calls for journalists to catch up with each other at least once a week. Supported by Journo Resources, these will be a chance for women journalists to connect virtually, chat to each other and seek support.

The team is also encouraging members to make use of their Facebook group as a place to connect with and support other journalists.

Regular Advice Resources

Women in Journalism are also putting together a series of practical articles to offer advice and support to their members. So far, these include: