How to Avoid Being Sued: Defamation Law in the 21st Century

Webinar, Sept. 26, 2019, at 2 p.m. Eastern

Learn how to navigate the tricky world of defamation and how you can protect yourself and your organization from accusations of libel or slander. George Freeman, executive director of the Media Law Resource Center, will show you how to identify the three main causes of defamation lawsuits and how to avoid them.

Enroll now

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Featured Courses

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.
Replay on demand
Regina McCombs
$29.95
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. (Original broadcast date: May 23, 2019)
Replay on demand
Kris Higginson
$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

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NewsU Webinar

How to Avoid Being Sued: Defamation Law in the 21st Century

Journalists will learn how to protect themselves against legal issues that arise from publishing and producing content.
Broadcast date: Sept. 26, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern time
George Freeman
Free
This $29.95 webinar is free thanks to the generous support of the Democracy Fund.
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
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
Applications closed
Cheryl Carpenter
NewsU Webinar

How to Cover the Arts on Any Beat (Webinar)

Learn creative and innovative ways to cover the arts across beats and with limited resources.
Broadcast date: Sept. 10, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern
Tom Huang
Free
This $29.95 webinar is free thanks to the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.
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)
Applications closed
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. 3-30, 2019
Apply by Aug. 30, 2019
Alexandra Zayas
$399
NewsU Webinar

Trusting News Webinar Series

Empower your journalism organization to demonstrate credibility and earn trust with this series of five webinars led by Trusting News founder and director, Joy Mayer.
Webinar 2 broadcast date: Oct. 16, 2019 at 12 p.m. Eastern
Joy Mayer
Free
This course is free thanks to the generous support of the Knight Foundation
Picture of a phone screen in someone's hand showing the Instagram platofrm.
NewsU Webinar

Copyright in 2019: The internet is not your photo archive

Effectively select and license photos for publication.
Replay on demand
Marcia Allert
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Demystifying the “TQ” in LGBTQIA Coverage

Learn how to cover the "TQ" in the LGBTQIA community with respect and accuracy.
Coming soon
Daniel Funke
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Building Successful News Partnerships

Learn how to collaborate with other news organizations to create stories with an impact.
Coming soon
Alexandra Zayas
$29.95
Mueller Book Club course card
NewsU Webinar

PolitiFact’s Mueller Report Book Club Live

PolitiFact readers meet online to discuss the Mueller Report and what it means.
Replay on demand
Angie Drobnic Holan
Free
NewsU Webinar

A Reporter’s Guide to Getting It Right

Learn how to secure accuracy and fairness in your reporting, well-before your deadline.
Replay on demand
Alexandra Zayas
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

HIV in 2019: Stories Beyond a Medical Lens

In this hour-long webinar, reporters and editors will learn how to find, interpret and use data about HIV in reported stories that go beyond a medical lens.
Replay on demand
Justine Griffin
Free
This $29.95 webinar is free thanks to the generous support of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
NewsU Self-directed Course

Curso práctico de verificación de hechos

Identifica fuentes confiables, desenmascara desinformación viral y decide si una declaración es verificable.
Jane Elizabeth and Alexios Mantzarlis
$Gratis
Este curso $29.95 es gratis gracias al soporte de Google News.
NewsU Webinar

Storytelling with Les Rose: Tips, Tricks and True Tales

Learn how to create more compelling video journalism from veteran storyteller Les Rose. (Original broadcast date: June 6, 2019 at 2 p.m. Eastern)
Replay on demand
Les Rose
$29.95
NewsU Tutorial

Find Focus for Your Video Stories: A Poynter Tutorial

Shape information into a sharp, focused story.
Al Tompkins
$9.95
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. (Original broadcast date: May 23, 2019)
Replay on demand
Kris Higginson
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Conducting Interviews That Matter

Learn how to conduct interviews that matter with NPR host Joshua Johnson. (Original broadcast date: April 25, 2019, at 4 p.m. Eastern)
Replay on demand
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. (Original broadcast date: April 18, 2019)
Replay on demand
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.
Replay on demand
Ren LaForme
$14.95
This $29.95 webinar is $14.95 thanks to support from the Knight Foundation.
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.
Replay on demand
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.
Replay on demand
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.
Replay on demand
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.
Replay on demand
Al Tompkins
$149.95
NewsU Webinar

Building Trust on Facebook

Gain credibility in social media platforms.
Replay on demand
Joy Mayer
Free
This $29.95 webinar is free thanks to the support of the McCormick Foundation.
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.
Replay on demand
Barbara Gray
Free
This webinar is free thanks to the generous support of our sponsor, Dataminr.
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

Covering Immigration Enforcement

Learn how to report immigration arrests, detention and deportation under the current administration.
Replay on demand
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 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 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
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 the 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 Certificate

Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing

The Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing gives you a solid understanding of the standards, essential skills and best practices of editing.
Merrill Perlman
$150
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

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

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 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 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 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

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 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

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

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 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

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

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

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

Covering Mass Shootings

The best journalism methods for mass shooting stories.
Replay on demand
Kelly McBride
Free
This $29.95 webinar is free thanks to the generous support of SAVE.
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

Reporting on the Cannabis Industry

The importance of understanding the cannabis business.
Broadcast date: Feb. 8, 2018
Alyson Martin
$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
NewsU Self-directed Course

Freedom of Information and Your Right to Know

This course teaches you how to use the Freedom of Information Act, Public Records Laws and Open Meetings Laws to uphold your right to know the government's actions.
Charles Davis and Joel Campbell
Free
This course is free thanks to the support of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Freedom of Information Committee and Bloomberg News.
NewsU Self-directed Course

Avoiding Plagiarism and Fabrication

This $29.95 course is available free of charge thanks to the generous support of the Harnisch Foundation.
Geanne Belton
Free
ACES logo
NewsU Certificate

Poynter ACES Certificate in Accurate, Audience-Focused Editing

The Accurate, Audience-Focused Editing Certificate aims to get editors to apply their critical thinking skills to deeper editing.
Pam Hogle
$150
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 Webinar

Where Do Good Story Ideas Come From with Lane DeGregory

Pitching elements of a good story idea.
Broadcast date: September 07, 2017
Lane DeGregory
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

Narrative Writing on Deadline

Bring literary narrative to your reporting.
Broadcast date: July 20, 2017
Lolly Bowean
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

It’s All About the Voice: How to Make Your Writing Sing

Bring music to your writing
Broadcast date: April 20, 2017
Roy Peter Clark
$9.95
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

Telling Stories with Sound

Casey Frechette
Free
NewsU Webinar

Getting Beyond Stereotypes: Better Disability Journalism

Reporting stories about disability as people.
Broadcast date: May 11, 2016
Lawrence Carter-Long
FREE
This $34.95 webinare is free thanks to the support of the McCormick Foundation.
NewsU Webinar

Spotting the Red Flags: How to Verify Information

Recognize the red flags of journalism.
Broadcast date: March 3, 2016
Gerri Berendzen
$29.95
This Webinar is $11.95 for members of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES).
NewsU Self-directed Course

Understanding and Interpreting Polls

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

Slimming It Down: Cutting Content for Different Spaces

Trimming the news for spaces.
Broadcast Date: May 29, 2014
Lisa McLendon
$29.95
NewsU Webinar

The Storyteller as an Investigator: How to Turn a Tip into an Investigation

How to turn a tip into the foundation of an investigation
Broadcast date: Oct. 23, 2013
Alexandra Zayas
FREE
This $29.95 Webinar is free, thanks to the support of the Livingston Awards.
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 Self-directed Course

Beyond the Inverted Pyramid: Creating Alternative Story Forms

This course will introduce you to the world of alternative story forms and show you how to add them to your writing, editing or designing repertoire.
Andy Bechtel
Free
This $29.95 course is free thanks to the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
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

You’ve written a great story? Well, now all you need to do is get people to read it.
Chip Scanlan
Free
NewsU Webinar

After the Texas Shooting: What Journalists Need to Know About Guns and Ammo

Learn and understand the different types of guns and ammunition for your reporting.
Broadcast date: Nov. 7, 2017
Al Tompkins
FREE
This $29.95 webinar is free because we believe strongly in helping journalists handle this important topic.
NewsU Tutorial

Five Motivators to Engage Viewers: A Poynter Tutorial

Five reasons people will watch or read a story.
Al Tompkins
$9.95
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 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 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

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

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

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.