Journalism Masterclasses and Events

Every month we run practical and accessible online masterclasses, led by diverse experts from across the industry. Open to people at all stages of their careers, we cover everything from finding work and job applications to improving your reporting and getting to grips with digital skills. To keep our sessions accessible to everyone, all tickets are just £4 each, which helps to cover the cost of paying our speakers fairly for their time.

We know that not everyone can afford this though — we always reserve free tickets for anyone who finds cost a barrier. We have a “no questions asked policy” — just drop our director an email to request a ticket on jem@journoresources.org.uk. We aim to get back to everyone within two working days, so please email us as soon as possible if there’s a session you’d like to attend.

Please do also get in touch if there are sessions you’d like to see us run in the future!

Frequently Asked Questions

Got things you want to know about our events series? You’ve come to the right place.

What Do People Say About Your Events?

Good things! Thousands of people have attended our online masterclass series and more than 90 per cent of them say they’ve gained new skills or ideas as a direct result. Here are some thoughts from some of our attendees:

  • Definitely finding my mind has been pleasantly blown after yesterday. I’ve been writing a cover letter for about 40 minutes and it is already so much better than any I’ve done before.”
  • “Thanks for facilitating such an illuminating and valuable session yesterday. I’ve found it difficult to motivate myself to pitch during lockdown and I finally sent off some ideas to commissioning editors this morning based on your advice.”
  • “Off the back of advice from the panellists, I have found and joined a number of Facebook and other social media communities relevant to my blog, and have already received lots of engagement and advice, and this has really grown my confidence to blog more and really make a go of it.”

Why Is There A Fee To Come To Your Online Events?

One of our key values at Journo Resources is that everyone should be paid fairly for their work, and that extends to the people we ask to speak at our events. We’re a small team, so the majority of our speakers are external and will be taking a day out of their schedule to prepare, take part in the event, and send any additional reading materials.

However, we also believe that everyone should have access to high-quality events without having to pay the sky-high fees you see elsewhere. That’s why we only charge a maximum of £4 for our online events — this goes directly to our speakers who are paid at least £170 for their time. Any further funds are split between the speaker and Journo Resources to cover our time and work in promoting and running the events. We don’t make a profit from these events.

We also offer free spaces to anyone who finds cost a barrier, with a “no questions asked” policy. Just drop us an email to jem@journoresources.org.uk if there’s an event you’d like to attend.

What Does An Event Ticket Include?

Your event ticket isn’t just a chance to watch from the audience! Every ticket to our online series includes:

  • A live online seat at the workshop, with the chance to ask questions and interact live;
  • The chance to submit questions in advance if you can’t make it on the day;
  • A full copy of the recording to watch on demand;
  • Recap resources, if sent by the presenter.

How Can I Claim A Free Ticket?

Please email jem@journoresources.org.uk with details of the event you’d like to attend. Please note that it can take us up to two working days to get through queries as we’re a very small team — so please email us early, if you can!

What Accessibility Accommodations Are There?

We want our events to be as accessible as possible — when booking your ticket, we have a section about accessibility requirements, so please let us know what you need.

All our sessions are recorded and offer automated closed captioning as standard.

Are Your Events Just For People In The UK & Ireland?

No! As we’ve expanded into the online events space, this means our events are now open to everyone. We run events on British time and in English, but we always make recorded tickets available, if you’re not able to listen in live.

However, it is worth bearing in mind that as our speakers are primarily based within the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you may find advice in some topic areas is more relevant to audience members in that country.

Do You Offer Bespoke Talks For My Company, Panel, University, Union?

Yes! We’re experts at this! If you’d like to book us for a workshop, masterclass, or panel appearance, please email our director on jem@journoresources.org.uk to discuss. Here are a couple of previous happy clients:

  • “Jem came to Queen Mary to do a freelancing masterclass and the students were more than happy listening to her advice and knowledge. She answered all questions and gave the students some self-belief that they could succeed with freelancing. We had 100 per cent positive feedback and by the next day, two of our students were paid freelancers.” Christine Stokes, Student Activities Co-Ordinator
  • “I’ve seen Jem give talks and present awards several times now, most notably at the Student Publication Association Awards. Jem is fun, engaging, and understands the tone of an event (be it debauched or distinctly serious). I’d highly recommend her as a host or speaker at any event.”Richard Brooks, Former NUS Vice-President