Journalist: training program

Journalism training in 12 months

A journalist finds important stories, gathers and verifies information and helps the audience make sense of events. The job requires good command of language, critical thinking, attention to detail and responsibility for every published word. The Journalist program is delivered by HSE IPAA jointly with a partner university, the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M. V. Lomonosov (NArFU, Arkhangelsk), and lasts 12 months. It covers the entire life of a story: from the idea and the search for sources to writing, fact-checking and editing.

What a journalist does

The profession is more than writing short pieces. A journalist decides which question matters to readers, finds the people involved, studies documents and compares the positions of the parties. Then the journalist chooses a genre and structures the text so that facts, context and conclusions are clear to the audience. The quality of a publication depends on every link in this chain, so the program combines information gathering, communication skills, editorial logic and the ability to explain complex matters clearly.

Sources and fact-checking

A reliable story starts with a source. It is important to understand where the information came from, what supports a claim and whether it can be verified independently. Participants learn to find information in open sources, collect comments and cross-check data, and to separate observation from interpretation and fact from opinion. This helps avoid distortion and build a publication on a verifiable foundation.

Interviews and genres

An interview requires preparation: you need to research the topic, define the purpose of the conversation and plan the sequence of questions. Just as important is the ability to listen, ask follow-up questions and convey accurately what was said. The course covers the news story, the interview, the feature report and the analytical piece: their structure, use of detail and presentation of facts. The genre is chosen to fit the task: to report an event quickly, show how it unfolds, reveal an interviewee's position or explain the causes of what is happening.

Curriculum

The program consists of six modules and eighteen topics:

• the journalism profession and how a newsroom works;
• sources and fact-checking;
• interviews and working with interviewees;
• news, reporting and analysis;
• editing and digital formats;
• ethics and preparing a publication.

The topics are arranged so that participants go through the full cycle of working on a story: finding what matters, verifying information and presenting it in a form suited to a specific audience.

Editing and digital media

Editing makes a text more accurate and easier to understand: the logic is tightened, repetition is removed, the headline and lead are refined, and details and facts are checked. For digital platforms, it is important to consider how people read on screen and what role visual elements play. Participants learn to adapt stories for websites, social media and other channels, and to use photos, audio and video where they help tell the story.

Who the program is for

Aspiring writers; press office staff; PR, content and corporate communications specialists; and creators of digital projects who want to work with information systematically. To succeed, it helps to have an interest in people and events, a habit of reading a range of publications and a willingness to write regularly.

Duration, fee and document

The training lasts 12 months and costs 85,000 RUB. The qualification document is issued by the partner university, NArFU. The skills you gain will be useful for working on news, interviews, reports and informational content for newsrooms and press offices. To learn about admission terms, submit an application or contact us via the Contacts section: tell us about your experience and goals, and a manager will advise you on how to get started.