The Nanak Media Fellowship
Citizen Journalism Academy
BECOME A NANAK MEDIA FELLOW
Transform your smartphone into a tool for journalism.
The Nanak Media Fellowship is the core of USI’s media-network model.
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Become a Nanak Media Fellow; pay a 1000 registration fee.
Women and Northeast men: it is free.
Apply for Nanak Media Fellowship via Google Form here.
The Art of Listening. The Courage to Verify. The Duty to Serve.
The Official Training Manual
This training manual is tentative and will be modified after the launch of the Delhi chapter, which will comprise 300 Nanak Media Fellows. Yang Burzhome will train them via Zoom webinars in English.
After receiving their feedback during training, the manual will be enhanced and restructured, and the Delhi chapter will take over the training and hold virtual classes in 12 native Indian languages.
The Nanak Media Fellowship
Citizen Journalist Certification — Level I
Listen. Verify. Serve.
Field-first, mobile-first, community-rooted.
The Course
Four blocks, one discipline: turn access into evidence, and evidence into a story that holds up.
Block Hours Focus
Ethics, law, verification, investigation
Practical Assignments of Applied Mobile Journalism
Independent Study: Self-directed research
COURSE STRUCTURE
MODULE one
The Philosophy of Citizen Journalism
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MODULE 2
Ethics and Public Trust
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MODULE 3
News Literacy
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MODULE 4
Story Discovery
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MODULE 5
Reporting Skills
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MODULE 6
Interviewing
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MODULE 7
Mobile Journalism
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MODULE 8
Fact Checking
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MODULE 9
Investigative Journalism
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MODULE 10
Digital Security
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MODULE 11
Media Law
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MODULE 12
Final Investigation
15 Modules, in Order
- Foundations — Why citizen journalism exists; journalism vs. activism; building a people’s archive.
- Ethics — Truth, harm minimization, protecting the vulnerable, resisting paid news.
- News Literacy — Spotting propaganda, disinformation, deepfakes, and algorithmic echo chambers.
- Story Discovery — Community and issue mapping; RTI, court, budget, and election records.
- Reporting Skills — Observation, verification, source-building, field notes, timelines.
- Interviewing — from officials to whistleblowers to children — trust, consent, trauma-aware questioning.
- Mobile Journalism — Camera, audio, editing, livestream, podcast, basic drone.
- Verification & Fact-Checking — Reverse image search, geolocation, metadata, OSINT, AI-content detection.
- Investigative Journalism — Following the money through procurement, land, and election-finance records.
- Digital Security — Encryption, Signal, ProtonMail, VPNs, device-seizure protocols, source protection.
- Media Law — Defamation, contempt, privacy, juvenile protection, sexual-assault reporting restrictions.
- Multimedia Storytelling — Data visualization, documentary, and distribution across social platforms.
- Community Journalism — Gram sabhas, municipal beats, health, education, disability, local economy.
- Newsroom Operations — Editorial budgeting, mentoring, audience analytics, fundraising basics.
The details of the modules are here:
MODULE 1
Foundations of Citizen Journalism
Learning Objectives
Students will understand
- Why does citizen journalism exist
- The role of journalism in democracy
- Public interest reporting
- Community-centered journalism
- Journalism as a public service
Chapters
- History of Citizen Journalism
- Evolution of Digital Media
- Journalism vs Activism
- Public Interest Journalism
- Hyperlocal Reporting
- Community Documentation
- Building People’s Archives
MODULE 2
Journalism Ethics
Topics:
Truth
Accuracy
Fairness
Independence
Transparency
Accountability
Minimizing Harm
Avoiding Defamation
Protecting Vulnerable Sources
Children
Victims
Sexual Assault Survivors
Conflict-Sensitive Reporting
Conflict of Interest
Paid News
Political Bias
Manipulated Narratives
Ethical AI Usage
Assignment
Analyze five unethical news stories and rewrite them ethically.
MODULE 3
News Literacy
Understanding
News
Opinion
Propaganda
Advertising
Disinformation
Misinformation
Malinformation
Algorithms
Echo Chambers
Deepfakes
Political Manipulation
Assignment
Detect misinformation posts.
MODULE 4
Story Discovery
Finding Stories
Community Mapping
Issue Mapping
Data Sources
Government Reports
RTI
Public Records
Budgets
Court Records
Election Data
Local Institutions
Assignment
Create a Story Map for your district.
MODULE 5
Reporting Skills
Observation
Verification
Source Development
Taking Notes
Field Reporting
Interview Preparation
Writing Field Reports
Chronology
Timeline Building
Evidence Collection
Assignments
Five reporting exercises
MODULE 6
Interviewing
Interview Types
Victims
Officials
Experts
Eyewitnesses
Children
Whistleblowers
Community Leaders
Question Design
Building Trust
Recording Consent
Managing Trauma Interviews
MODULE 7
Mobile Journalism
Smartphone Camera
Lighting
Composition
Audio
Editing
Voiceover
Subtitles
Photography
Livestream
Podcast Recording
Drone Basics
Assignments
Produce
News package
Interview
Short documentary
MODULE 8
Verification and Fact Checking
Verification Workflow
Source Evaluation
Image Verification
Video Verification
Reverse Image Search
Satellite Verification
Geolocation
Metadata
OSINT
Social Media Verification
AI-Generated Content Detection
Assignments
Verify twenty online claims.
MODULE 9
Investigative Journalism
Research Planning
Source Networks
Public Databases
Corporate Records
Government Procurement
Land Records
Environmental Violations
Budget Analysis
Election Finance
Following Money
Pattern Analysis
Evidence Preservation
MODULE 10
Digital Security
Passwords
Encryption
Signal
Proton Mail
VPN
Cloud Backup
Secure Storage
Metadata
Device Seizure
Safe Travel
Source Protection
Cyber Hygiene
MODULE 11
Media Law
Freedom of Speech
Reasonable Restrictions
Defamation
Contempt of Court
Privacy
Copyright
Official Secrets
Election Reporting
Juvenile Protection
Sexual Assault Reporting Restrictions
Police Interaction
Recording in Public
Digital Evidence
Court Reporting
MODULE 12
Multimedia Storytelling
Writing
Photography
Infographics
Data Visualization
Podcast
Documentary
Social Media
YouTube
WhatsApp Distribution
Telegram Broadcasting
Newsletter Writing
MODULE 13
Community Journalism
Public Meetings
Gram Sabhas
Municipal Reporting
Health
Education
Employment
Environment
Women
Children
Disability
Local Economy
Public Services
MODULE 14
Leadership and Newsroom Operations
Editorial Meetings
Story Budgeting
Editorial Calendar
Volunteer Coordination
Mentoring
Project Management
Audience Engagement
Analytics