2 week intensive newsroom course
In partnership with Berlin Journalism Academy
Spring 2026: Learn the essentials of journalism and on-the-pulse city reporting
Work as a Berlin field reporter, creating 5 short ‘blurb’ articles and a feature length story that matters to you. Be prepared for rigorous feedback and editing sessions from our Editor-in-chief.
Your collective work will be published online and printed in an expertly laid-out magazine.
Certificate of course completion, references, recommendation letters, and your byline in a professional publication.
Week 1: Fundamentals / In the field
Journalism crash course
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Admin: How to submit your work / magazine style guide / who’s our target audience
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What is journalism?
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Separating journalism from PR and non-fiction
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How to be complimentary without sucking up
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How to be critical without being dismissive
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Can citizens be journalists?
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Journalism and AI
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Opinions & propaganda
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Finding your voice
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Consider your journalistic angles
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Good practise: detailed, descriptive, precise
Interviewing
- Interviewing masterclass
- Q&As vs portraits
- Great answers, not clever questions
- Follow-up questions
- How to get your interviewee to open up
- Collective interview with a Berlin artist
- Interview prep – what’s the plan?
- Recording and transcribing
- Group interview debrief
- Pitching round – who writes up the interview?
Reporting / Site visits
- Learn the essentials of journalism while putting together a magazine guide
- Explore Berlin all week as an in-the-field reporter
- You’ll be writing 5 short-form ‘blurb’ articles of places around the city
- Shorter does not equal easier! We’ll help you say what you want within the word count
- Take notes, take photos, ask questions
- Research your sites/topics in depth
- Connect with people related to your topics
Editing and feedback
- Articles submitted to Editor-in-chief for feedback and editing rounds
- 1-1s to give you full attention
- These pieces should be very well researched, so know your topic
- Always double check your facts, figures etc before submission
- Be prepared for some scrutiny!
1st layout session
- First 3 blurbs laid out
- Check article formats
- Select photos
- Edited articles submitted for a final copy edit / proofread
- Submit to layout team
Week 2: Newsroom and production
Bringing the magazine together
- Create the masthead / imprint
- Start a flatplan – this gives us an overview of the magazine and page counts
- Team photo for the magazine
- Writers / photographers credits and bios
- Contents page
Feature articles
- This is your longer piece
- We can already start to plan it by video before the course starts
- This can be an interview, a deep dive into a topic you care about, or Berlin current news
- Don’t watch your word count too closely
- We’ll help you get it into shape, to keep it focused, accurate & compelling
Editing and final site visits
- Didn’t get all the facts needed for your pieces? This is a chance for some repeat visits
- Follow up any interview questions remaining
- Take a camera or photographer if better photos are needed
- Double check all the info – opening hours, addresses, admission prices etc
- Visiting at another time of the week? – Was the vibe totally different on a weekday?
Deadlines
- Making a magazine in just 2 weeks is not easy
- We’ll have strict deadlines for blurbs and feature articles
- Stick to the guidelines for submitting and formatting
- Unfinished / unedited work could be cut from the publication
- If you need more time please communicate!
The closing stages
- Be prepared for some long days as we finalise everything!
- All your articles should be submitted for a last edit
- As we sign off on them, they’ll be added to the magazine
- We’ll print colour proofs and read through them as a team
- Fact-checking team go through all the details
- Magazine is published online using Adobe In-design
- Magazine is sent for printing
- We’ll post you some copies when they arrive!
Who's this course for?
This course is quite intensive. But nothing covered is unobtainable to beginners. It requires perseverance, commitment and a genuine interest in journalism.
The course suits:
Aspiring journalists
BA/MA journalism, communication, media studies or related fields
Gap year students
Career changers
Work-breakers
Meet the team
William Barber
Programme manager
Will has been running the Treetop Travel Journalism programme in Berlin for the past five years. He’s your go to for all things organisational, and also involved in the print / online publications.
Nadja Vancauwenberghe
Editor-in-chief
Nadja’s going to work with you from start to finish, guiding the research and development of your journalistic stories, mentoring you through all the steps – pitching, interviewing, editing, publishing.
Maiia Dadunashvili
Graphic design / layout
Maiia will be working with you to realise your journalism story in a collective print edition with your fellow programme members. You’ll gain real insight into collaborating with a pro designer.
Programme testimonials
Dates and prices
March 23rd- April 5th 2026
Price: €1399. Deposits and instalment plans available
10% discount for group bookings
Applications
If you’d like to apply for this course please do so below. Be sure to tell us your motivations and experiences in detail!