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Journalism Basics

Learn to find real stories, verify them properly, and write clean news with nothing but your phone — then pitch for your first Nigerian byline.

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About this course

A practical, entry-level journalism course built for Nigeria: news judgment, sourcing and interviews, fact-checking in the misinformation era, inverted-pyramid writing, mobile reporting, and the ethics that keep your name clean. You finish by reporting and writing a publish-ready news story from your own community, complete with a verification log and a pitch to a real Nigerian outlet.

Every day in Nigeria, a thousand things happen on your street alone — but only a few of them are news. The trader who opened her shop at 7am is not news. The trader whose shop was demolished at 7am with no notice, along with forty others, is news.

What you'll learn

Course syllabus — 6 lessons

  1. What Makes News: Thinking Like a Reporter12 min
  2. Sources and Interviews: Getting People to Talk14 min
  3. Verification: Don't Get Used14 min
  4. Writing the Story: Ledes, Pyramids, and Features14 min
  5. Mobile Journalism: Your Phone Is the Newsroom13 min
  6. Ethics, Safety, and Breaking In15 min

Your project

Report a Publish-Ready Community News Story

A single shareable Google Doc containing a 400–600 word publish-ready news story from your community, an original captioned photo, a verification log covering every checkable claim, documented right of reply, and a pitch email to a named Nigerian outlet.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify.

Frequently asked questions

Is Journalism Basics free?

Yes. Journalism Basics is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does Journalism Basics take to complete?

5 weeks · ~4 hrs/week. There are 6 lessons, about 1 hour of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start Journalism Basics?

Beginner-friendly. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in Journalism Basics?

You will build practical skills in News judgment & story ideas, Interviewing & source protection, Fact-checking & verification, News writing (inverted pyramid), Feature writing basics, Mobile reporting & filing, Media ethics & right of reply, Pitching & portfolio building. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for Journalism Basics?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Report a Publish-Ready Community News Story and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

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