We proudly organise the European Queer Journalism Campus—a series of summer-to-autumn seminars on the craft of journalism. So, we thought it might be time to publish a brief set of guidelines for those who dream of becoming journalists. It’s summer, after all—what better moment to watch a film, read a book, and imagine the future?
Alan Rusbridger, then editor of The Guardian, addressing the newsroom after the paper won the Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on the documents leaked by Edward Snowden, London, April 2014. Photo: Katy StoddardWhile steering clear of academic jargon and a surfeit of recommendations, this guide invites aspiring journalists to awaken their curiosity. Engage with these proposals, and you may well find yourself compelled to explore far beyond the surface.
Books
David Randall – The Universal Journalist
A sharp, accessible, and enduringly relevant guide to the craft of journalism—part manual, part manifesto. First published in the late 1990s, it has become something of a bible for aspiring reporters and editors alike, lauded for its clarity, wit, and uncompromising emphasis on truth-telling. The Universal Journalist remains strikingly prescient. It is a foundation stone of contemporary journalism education—and a passionate argument for journalism as both craft and conscience. As a plus it is based on British-style journalism, which is, probably, the most interesting in the world.
Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel – The Elements of Journalism
A lucid and principled examination of what journalism ought to be—both a profession and a public trust. A cornerstone of journalism education, the book lays out a set of enduring tenets that transcend format, platform, or era. Rather than offering tips and tricks, Kovach and Rosenstiel delve into the philosophical heart of the craft. Calm, clear, and quietly radical, it insists journalism must serve democracy—or it serves nothing at all. Though, it remains an American view of journalism.
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey – Chasing the Truth: A Young Journalist’s Guide to Investigative Journalism
The book is both an inspiring entry point and a practical toolkit for aspiring reporters. Adapted from their Pulitzer Prize-winning work that exposed Harvey Weinstein’s abuses, this book distils the core principles of investigative journalism into an accessible and empowering guide for a new generation. Kantor and Twohey write with clarity, humility, and an acute awareness of the ethical stakes involved in holding the powerful to account. This is more than a how-to manual. It is a call to courage and rigour in an age of noise and obfuscation—a vital companion for any young person who believes in the power of asking difficult questions, and refusing easy answers.
Gabriel García Márquez – The Scandal of the Century and Other Writings
The Scandal of the Century and Other Writings reveals Gabriel García Márquez not only as a master of fiction but as a journalist of rare elegance, irony, and moral clarity. This collection, spanning decades of his reportage, essays, and reflections, underscores that before he conjured Macondo, García Márquez was already chronicling the real world with a novelist’s sensitivity and a reporter’s precision. A Nobel Prize-winner, Márquez famously declared journalism to be ‘the best job in the world.’ He viewed it as a ‘biological necessity’ and a ‘passion that can only be digested and humanized by its brutal confrontation with reality.’
Truman Capote – In the Cold Blood
Truman Capote’s novel is a landmark in American letters—at once a harrowing true-crime narrative and the cornerstone of what would come to be known as New Journalism. With a novelist’s eye for detail and a reporter’s rigour, Capote reconstructs the brutal 1959 murder of a Kansas family and the troubled lives of their killers with chilling intimacy. It remains a seminal work: ethically complex, stylistically daring, and foundational to a genre that blurs the line between storytelling and reportage.
Films
All the President’s Men
The film and the true story remains the definitive account of investigative journalism at its most relentless and morally urgent. Based on the true story of how Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman embody the young journalists. It remains the only time in American history that a newspaper investigation led directly to the resignation of a sitting U.S. president—an extraordinary moment of democratic accountability. All the President’s Men is a masterclass in restraint, and a haunting reminder of journalism’s potential to reshape history.
Spotlight
One of the best journalism films ever made—it’s also one of the most accurate. It doesn’t just get the facts right; it gets the feel of investigative journalism right. The drudgery. The dead ends. The way big stories don’t start with a bombshell tip but with a nagging sense that something isn’t adding up. The story of how The Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative reporting team uncovered the Catholic Church’s cover-up of child sexual abuse, an investigation that exposed not just a handful of predatory priests but a systemic conspiracy stretching from Boston to the Vatican, eventually leading to the demise of the Pope Benedict.
The Post
It is both a stirring historical drama and a timely meditation on press freedom. Based on the true events surrounding the publication of the famous Pentagon Papers, the film follows The Washington Post’s tense decision to defy the Nixon administration and publish classified documents exposing decades of governmental deceit over the Vietnam War. A stellar cast lead by Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.
Shattered Glass
One of the more accurate portrayals of journalism. A devastating portrait of ambition, deception, and the fragility of journalistic integrity. Based on the well-known true story of Stephen Glass, a wunderkind reporter at The New Republic (an excellent leading magazine at the time) who fabricated over two dozen articles, the film plays like a slow-burn thriller inside the polite corridors of media. The filmmakers took great care to get the details right, from the mechanics of fact-checking to the way Glass manipulated his editors.
The Paper
An authentic portrayal of newsroom dynamics makes The Post a standout, an entertaining look at the pressures and passions of the press, and an excellent representation of one day in the editorial office of a newspaper. As a bonus, a stellar ensemble: Michael Keaton, Glen Close, Marisa Tomei and Robert Duvall.
Online resources
Columbia Journalism Review
Provides in-depth analysis of journalism trends, media criticism, and ethics.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
Resources, tools, and networking for investigative journalists.
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Provides research and reports on journalism trends, media freedom, and digital news consumption.
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
Nieman Lab
Covers innovations in journalism, media business models, and technology’s impact on news.
Journalism Digital Tools
The most comprehensive platform for digital tools, from news production to AI assistance.
journaliststoolbox.ai
Ultimately, the journey into queer journalism is one of curiosity, courage, and commitment an invitation to tell stories that challenge, illuminate, and reshape the world around us.
Stepping into journalism demands not only curiosity but also the courage to amplify voices too often silenced.
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