Journalism Course: Reporting from the Margins

Strong journalism blows life into society, ignites political discussion, empowers people and ultimately helps trigger social change. In an age where anyone with a cell-phone can call oneself a journalist and AI is raging through the profession, Unfiltered's journalism workshop offers an opportunity to learn the A-Z of real, on-the-ground reporting from professional journalists from diverse backgrounds and with years of experience.

Course Facilitators

Chie Matsumoto is a Japan-based journalist whose works appear in Japanese and English publications including books, Gender Expression Guidebook (Shogakukan, 2022), State of Sexual Harassment in Media (Bungei Shunju, 2020) among others. She's also taught media literacy at universities in Tokyo.

David McNeill is a Professor at the Department of English Language, Communication and Cultures at Sacred Heart University in Tokyo. He reported for The Independent and The Economist newspapers and for The Chronicle of Higher Education as a Japan correspondent. His works have also appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times and other international publications. Co-author of the book Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan's Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) and Japanese Rebels: Non-conformists in a Conformist Society (Routledge, 2026).

Nithin Coca is a Asia-focused global journalist who covers climate, environment, human rights, and supply chains across the region. His feature stories have appeared in publications in North America, Asia and Europe, including Financial Times, Nikkei Asia Mongabay, Ensia, Yale E360, China Dialogue, The Nation and Engadget.

Schedule

4 weekly sessions, 90-120 min per session, starting from 8pm Japan/Korea (GMT+9)

Week 1 - (July 28) - What is grassroots journalism?

• What is the role, responsibility and the power of journalism?
• For whom and for what do we report?

Week 2 - (Aug. 4) - What goes in a story?

• Components and modules of a story
• Empowering, rather than extractive, reporting
• How to frame a story

Week 3 - (Aug. 18) - How to interview people for a story

• Preparing for an interview
• How to draw out good stories from your interviewees
• Dos and Don’ts of interviews

Week 4 - (Aug. 25) - Putting together a story

• Good lede tells all, bad lede kills all
• Structuring stories - follow-up reporting and expanding impact
• Pitching stories

Step One: Register using the form below

Step Two: Pay via Open Collective (students here)

Have questions? Email us at un-filtered@riseup.net