Welcome to Poynter’s News University, now on a more integrated, mobile-friendly platform. Are you a returning NewsU member? You’ll notice a few improvements and will also have to create a new account. If you’re a new user, please explore our 100+ interactive journalism courses and join our international community of 150,000+ members.

Have questions? Please check out our FAQ page.

Featured Courses

NewsU Webinar

Dear Reader: Accomplish More With Your Newsletter

Learn how to better harness the power of a newsy daily email, from staffing it to winning loyal readers with its content and tone.
Broadcast date: May 23, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Kris Higginson
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Storytelling with Les Rose: Tips, Tricks and True Tales of TV News

Learn how to create more compelling video journalism from veteran storyteller Les Rose. 
Broadcast date: June 6, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Les Rose
$29.95
NewsU Online Seminar

ACES In-Depth Editing Online Group Seminar (Spring 2019)

For experienced editors who are seeking to move their work to a new level. Hone your skills and edit beyond style, grammar and punctuation.
May 31 - June 28
Merrill Perlman and Sue Bullard
$449
Special pricing available for members of ACES: The Society for Editing.

Our catalog

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  • Fact-Checking
  • Free
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  • Leadership
  • Marketing & PR
  • Media Law
  • Online Group Seminar
  • Reporting
  • Self-directed Course
  • Tech & Tools
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  • Visual Journalism
  • Webinar
  • Writing
Poynter Seminar

Table Stakes: Poynter’s Local News Innovation Program

This nine-month training and coaching program will help local news organizations transform into more sustainable digital publishers.
Sept. 2019 - June 2020
Apply by: June 24, 2019
Cheryl Carpenter
NewsU Online Seminar

TV Power Reporting Academy

In this hybrid online and in-person seminar, MMJ/VJ reporters will get individual feedback on their work to elevate their career in broadcast.
Sept. 6 - Oct. 18 (In-Person at Poynter Sept. 27-29)
Al Tompkins
NewsU Online Seminar

Will Work for Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism (Fall 2019)

A seminar for reporters with ambition to do investigative journalism that functions as an important part of democracy.
Course Dates: Sept. 3 to 30, 2019
Apply by August 30, 2019
Alexandra Zayas
$399
NewsU Webinar

Storytelling with Les Rose: Tips, Tricks and True Tales of TV News

Learn how to create more compelling video journalism from veteran storyteller Les Rose. 
Broadcast date: June 6, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Les Rose
$29.95
NewsU Online Seminar

ACES In-Depth Editing Online Group Seminar (Spring 2019)

For experienced editors who are seeking to move their work to a new level. Hone your skills and edit beyond style, grammar and punctuation.
May 31 - June 28
Merrill Perlman and Sue Bullard
$449
Special pricing available for members of ACES: The Society for Editing.
NewsU Tutorial

Find Focus for Your Video Stories: A Poynter Tutorial

Shape information into a sharp, focused story.
Al Tompkins
$9.95
NewsU Online Seminar

Writers Without Editors: How to Edit Your Own Writing

Gain the skills you need to polish your own prose.
May 17 - June 9
Merrill Perlman
$429
NewsU Webinar

Dear Reader: Accomplish More With Your Newsletter

Learn how to better harness the power of a newsy daily email, from staffing it to winning loyal readers with its content and tone.
Broadcast date: May 23, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Kris Higginson
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Conducting Interviews That Matter

Learn how to conduct interviews that matter with NPR host Joshua Johnson
Broadcast date: April 25, 2019, at 4 p.m. Eastern
Joshua Johnson
Free
NewsU Webinar

Broadcast Writing: Write Like You Talk

This webinar offers specific ways to improve your television news writing by focusing on a conversational style and exposing common mistakes.
Broadcast date: April 18, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Jeff Butera
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Digital Tools to Improve Your Workweek

Learn some of the best tips and tools for journalists to fix common problems with meetings, email, workflows and satisfaction in the workplace.
Broadcast date: April 11 at 2 p.m. ET
Ren LaForme
$14.95
This $29.95 webinar is $14.95 thanks to support from the Knight Foundation.
NewsU Online Seminar

Poynter Producer Project (Spring 2019)

The Poynter Producer Project helps newsrooms grow their own producers using both online learning with in-person coaching and mentoring.
Broadcast dates: March 26-April 30, 2019
Enroll by: March 1, 2019
Al Tompkins
NewsU Webinar

Choosing the Best Photos for the Story

Learn how to select the best — and most effective — photos for a story, even if you don’t have a visuals background.
Broadcast date: March 21, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Regina McCombs
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

How Newsrooms Can Use WhatsApp to Combat Fake News

A guide for how journalists can use a WhatsApp account to identify rumors and share fact-checks with readers.
March 20, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Yasodara Cordova
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Covering Jails: Addiction Behind Bars

People with addiction need treatment and care, not criminal punishment. Dr. Lipi Roy explains why the "war on drugs" — a global colossal failure — needs to be replaced by evidence-based practice.
March 13 at 3 p.m. Eastern
Lipi Roy
Free
This webinar is free thanks to the generous support of the MacArthur Foundation.
NewsU Webinar

The Flying Camera: Drone Photography Skills Webinar Series

In this series of webinars, students will learn the ins and outs of drone photography and videography, sequencing, gear and more.
Broadcast dates: March 11-April 1, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern
Al Tompkins
$149.95
NewsU Online Seminar

Will Work for Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism

A seminar for reporters with ambition to do investigative journalism that functions as an important part of democracy.
Broadcast dates: March 1-31, 2019
Alexandra Zayas
$399
NewsU Webinar

How to Surface Stories in a Saturated Social Media Environment with Dataminr

Get an inside look at how more than 400 newsrooms use Dataminr, a tool that identifies breaking news and pre-viral stories.
Broadcast date: Feb. 27, 2019, 3 p.m. Eastern
Barbara Gray
Free
This webinar is free thanks to the generous support of our sponsor, Dataminr.
NewsU Webinar

Covering Immigration Enforcement

Learn how to report immigration arrests, detention and deportation under the current administration.
Broadcast date: Jan. 31, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Julia Preston
$29.95
NewsU Online Seminar

Write Your Heart Out: The Craft of the Personal Essay (January 2019)

How to tell stories in ways that will resonate with others, whether in print or online.
Jan. 25 - Feb. 22, 2019
Keith Woods
$349
NewsU Online Seminar

Becoming a More Effective Writer: Clarity and Organization (January 2019)

Build the reporting and writing habits you need to organize your information better and write more clearly.
Jan. 11 to Feb. 11, 2019
Merrill Perlman
$429
News Sense: Building Blocks Of News
NewsU Self-directed Course

News Sense: The Building Blocks of News

What makes an idea or event a news story? Explore the who, what, when, where, why and how of news.
Mary Ann Hogan
Free
This $29.95 course is free thanks to the Knight Foundations.
NewsU Webinar

Hooked on Junk News: Breaking Bad Habits and Rebuilding Trust in the Media

Build trust instead of distrust.
Broadcast date: April 26, 2018
Kirsti Kenneth
FREE
This $29.95 webinar is free thanks to the generous support of NewseumED.
NewsU Self-directed Course

Getting It Right: Accuracy and Verification in the Digital Age

It's a challenge to verifying information in a networked world. Get the knowledge and tools you need to evaluate what you hear, read and see.
Updated: 2018
Craig Silverman
$29.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

The Interview

This interactive video course will teach you what you need to know about being a better interviewer and allow you to put those lessons into practice.
Chip Scanlan
Free
This course is free thanks to the generous support of Knight Foundation
NewsU Self-directed Course

Hands-On Fact-Checking: A Short Course

Identify reliable sources, debunk viral misinformation, and decide whether a statement is really checkable.
Alexios Mantzarlis
Free
This $29.95 course is free thanks to support from Google News
cleaning your copy
NewsU Self-directed Course

Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style and More

Finding and fixing the most common style, grammar and punctuation errors.
Updated: 2018
Vicki Krueger
Free
NewsU Self-directed Course

Ethics of Journalism

Build or refine your process for making ethical decisions — before you're faced with a tough call on deadline.
Kelly McBride
FREE
This course is free thanks to Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
NewsU Webinar

Writing and Editing with Lane DeGregory

How to get started on your story, trust yourself and kickstart the writing process.
Broadcast date: Aug. 8, 2018
Lane DeGregory
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Fact-Check It: Digital Tools to Verify Everything Online

The best tools, tips and methods for verifying information online.
Broadcast date: July 11, 2018
Ren LaForme
FREE
This webinar is free thanks to Google News Initiative, API and Knight Foundation
NewsU Webinar

Investigative Reporting: From Numbers to Narrative

Wrangle data to find and tell stories.
Broadcast date: June 21, 2018
Tyler Dukes
$39.95
NewsU Webinar

Turning Journalism Students Into Visual Storytellers

Turn photography into photojournalism.
Broadcast date: June 12, 2018
Mark E. Johnson
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Leveraging Your Visual Journalism Skills Within the Organization

How visual journalists survive the newsrooms.
Broadcast date: June 11, 2018
Mark E. Johnson
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Untangling the Weeds: Strategies for Substantive Editing

This course will teach an approach for untangling convoluted copy.
Broadcast date: Jan. 25, 2018
Sam Enslen
$29.95
numeracy primer
NewsU Self-directed Course

Math and Numeracy Primer: How to Write About Numbers

Your guide to writing about numbers accurately, ethically and elegantly, with a quick review of how to calculate the basics.
Pam Hogle
$19.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Copyright Law and Fair Use for Journalists

This course will help journalists understand what constitutes fair use of content, particularly online content, and debunk copyright myths.
Updated: 2018
Ellyn Angelotti Kamke
$29.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Understanding and Interpreting Polls (International)

This course will help you understand how opinion polls and surveys serve as helpful resources about how individuals and groups think and behave.
American Association for Public Opinion Research
Free
NewsU Webinar

Fact-Checking and Debunking: Covering Rumors, Hoaxes and Gossip

Reporting and discrediting rumors and hoaxes.
Broadcast date: Jan. 6, 2015
Craig Silverman
$29.95
This Webinar is $9.95 for members of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES).
NewsU Webinar

Curating Content: How to Aggregate Coverage

Get the tools you need to curate content quickly, accurately and effectively.
Broadcast date: Dec. 4, 2014
Sue Burzynski Bullard
$29.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Fundamentals of Editing

Gain a solid grounding in the process of editing and the range of skills that give text a professional polish.
Sue Burzynski Bullard
14.95
NewsU Webinar

Clarity is Key: Making Writing Clean and Concise

Clean up your writing into a refined style.
Broadcast date: Dec. 13, 2012
Lisa McLendon
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

The Art and Science of Editing

Learn to identify when you need to edit something, when you don’t and how to explain your changes to others.
Broadcast date: Oct. 3, 2012
Merrill Perlman
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

The Secret of Making Complicated Facts Easy Reading

Turn complexity into simplicity.
Broadcast date: December 07, 2011
Roy Peter Clark
$29.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Writing for the Ear

In this five-part module, you’ll learn everything you need to write more effective audio narratives, from generating an idea to recording your story.
Dan Grech
Free
NewsU Self-directed Course

Introduction to Reporting: Beat Basics

This course will help you confidently approach reporting and writing the first stories off your new beat.
Steve Buttry
Free
NewsU Self-directed Course

Writing Online Headlines: SEO and Beyond

We'll walk through basic principles of SEO, examine how headlines show up in social media and discuss the fundamentals of A/B testing.
Eric Ulken
$29.95
video camera
NewsU Tutorial

Start Your Video Story with a Strong Open: A Poynter Tutorial

Catch your audience from the start when telling a story.
Al Tompkins
$9.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Handling Race and Ethnicity

In this course, you’ll examine your own assumptions about race and ethnicity.
Keith Woods
Free
NewsU Self-directed Course

The Lead Lab

Chip Scanlan
Free
NewsU Webinar

We Can’t Do More with Less — Here’s How to Say No: Lessons from Local, Part 3

How newsrooms cover more with limited resources.
Broadcast date: August 13, 2018
Kristen Hare
$19.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Audience Analytics for Reporters

This course offers tips for using basic analytics data to figure out what your audience wants more of, what to stop doing and how to integrate an analytics strategy into your busy schedule
Jill Nicholson
$49.95
NewsU Webinar

How Local and National Journalists Can Work Together to Cover Breaking News: Lessons from Local, Part 4

How to form a national-local news partnership.
Broadcast date: September 17, 2018
Kristen Hare
$19.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Journalism Fundamentals: Craft & Values

Learn the foundational concepts for reporting, writing, editing and producing multimedia.
Mark Miller
FREE
This $19.95 self-directed course is free.
NewsU Webinar

Starting Your Own Site 101: Lessons from Local, Part 5

Create your own journalism site.
Broadcast date: October 15, 2018
Kristen Hare
$19.95
NewsU Tutorial

Five Motivators to Engage Viewers: A Poynter Tutorial

Five reasons people will watch or read a story.
Al Tompkins
$9.95
Online Group Seminar
NewsU Online Seminar

Web Headlines & SEO Essentials

Learn about the set of technologies and techniques that can bring more eyes to your content and more visitors to your site, including SEO.
Feb. 5-22, 2019
John Schlander
$299
NewsU Webinar

Lessons from Local: Innovation Strategies for Newsrooms Series

Learn different approaches to local news coverage
Broadcast date: June 04, 2018
Kristen Hare
$60.00
The Power of Public Records
NewsU Webinar

The Power of Public Records

How public data and documents can pack power into an interview-driven story.
Broadcast date: January 10, 2018
Alexandra Zayas
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

The Writing Process: 10 Steps for Coaching Writers

How to coach a writer beyond simply correcting copy.
Broadcast date: Sept. 24, 2018
Roy Peter Clark
$49.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

News Literacy Primer: How to Evaluate Information

Learn to identify credible news resources and evaluate information you find on the Internet and elsewhere.
Pam Hogle
$19.95
NewsU Webinar

Target and Engage Your Audience: Digital Experiences That Drive Results, Part 1

Reach the right audience effectively.
Broadcast date: August 01, 2018
Crystal L. Lauderdale
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Improve Search Optimization: Digital Experiences That Drive Results, Part 2

An understanding of the user experience of discovering content through search engines.
Broadcast date: August 29, 2018
Crystal L. Lauderdale
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Craft Effective Direct Outreach Messages: Digital Experiences That Drive Results, Part 3

An understanding of the user experience of receiving content via email newsletters or mobile messaging.
Broadcast date: September 19, 2018
Crystal L. Lauderdale
$29.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Language Primer: Basics of Grammar, Punctuation and Word Use (Public Edition)

Practice the fundamentals of grammar and punctuation so you can write with greater confidence.
Pam Hogle
$19.95
NewsU Webinar

Grow Audience Via Social Media: Digital Experiences That Drive Results, Part 4

An understanding of the user experience of discovering content on social media.
Broadcast date: October 25, 2018
Crystal L. Lauderdale
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Planning and Executing Your Strategy: Digital Experiences That Drive Results, Part 5

An overview of content development and delivery strategies.
Broadcast date: November 07, 2018
Crystal L. Lauderdale
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Digital Experiences That Drive Results: Strategies for Creating Compelling Content Series

The five-part series emphasizes how to develop and deliver content to make measurable results, whether in the newsrooms or for an organization.
Broadcast date: August 01, 2018
Crystal L. Lauderdale
$120
NewsU Self-directed Course

Lousy Listeners: How to Avoid Being One

This course will show you how to be a better listener.
Jill Geisler
Free
NewsU Webinar

Planning and Design for the Big Story

How to present the story on both the front page and the inside pages.
Broadcast date: July 18, 2018
Greg Mees
$29.95
This webinar is FREE for members of the Society for News Design (SND).
NewsU Webinar

Taking the Reins: Growing into Your Role as an Editor

What makes an editor great in journalism from relationships to decision-making.
Broadcast on Jan. 24, 2019
Alexandra Zayas
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Sweat This, Not That: Real Rules vs. Grammar Myths

The rules and non-rules in grammar.
Broadcast date: March 1, 2018
Lisa McLendon
$29.95
This webinar is $11.95 for members of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES). Watch your member email to get details about the discount.
NewsU Webinar

Five Small Things That Have Made a Big Difference in Local Newsrooms: Lessons from Local, Part 1

How local newsrooms around the country have shifted their priorities and changed their workflows through some very easy changes.
Broadcast date: June 04, 2018
Kristen Hare
$19.95
NewsU Webinar

Writing with Voice and Structure with Lane DeGregory

Finding the tenor and format for a story.
Broadcast date: April 18, 2018
Lane DeGregory
$29.95
NewsU Self-directed Course

Journalism and Trauma

This course will teach you how traumatic stress affects victims and how to interview trauma victims with compassion and respect.
Dart Center
Free
NewsU Webinar

How Newsrooms are Making (Some) Money That’s Not from Advertising: Lessons from Local, Part 2

How newsrooms obtain the financial support besides ads.
Broadcast date: July 09, 2018
Kristen Hare
$19.95
NewsU Webinar

Reporting on the Cannabis Industry

The importance of understanding the cannabis business.
Broadcast date: Feb. 8, 2018
Alyson Martin
$29.95

Poynter’s News University is one of the world’s most innovative online journalism and media training programs ever created. From multimedia techniques to writing and reporting, we’ve got free and low-cost courses. As the e-learning project of The Poynter Institute, NewsU extends Poynter’s mission as a school for journalists, future journalists, teachers of journalism and anyone interested in the craft and values of journalism.

Knight Foundation

Thank you to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for its support of News University since the site’s founding in 2005.