Online Journalism Training

THE BIG ISSUE has started a new online journalism programme in London involving eight trainees with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

The six-week programme, supported by Nominet Trust and delivered by social enterprise Poached Creative, is a first for The Big Issue and a chance for the street magazine to amplify the voices of homeless and marginalised people through online media.

Trainees for the six-week programme have been through an application and interview process to ensure they have the interest and aptitude needed to succeed in online journalism and will work with journalism and media professionals to produce and publish stories and photographs for the Answers From Big Issue website.

“We’ve got some great trainees and a lot of passion so I have high hopes that we can help some people move on with their lives,” says Charles Howgego, digital projects editor at the Big Issue.

“Training will cover a broad range of subjects from news writing, feature writing to media law and social media as well as all aspects of photography,” he goes on.

Freelance journalist Glenn McMahon is coordinating the written aspects of journalism and photographer Zoe Childerley is overseeing the photography side of things, with Howgego, who is a former editor of The Big Issue magazine, also providing training.

They will also be able to have the expertise of visiting journalists including Pulitzer-prize nominated Veronique Mistaen. The training centre is located at the St Giles Trust offices in Dalston, east London.