Christian journalists get professional development during pandemic through MTI

By Jennifer Howard, April 2020

(Colorado Springs, CO) — The world is changing but the need for the message of Christ is not. Magazine Training International (MTI) is dedicated to helping Christians in publishing as they navigate the perils of publishing during lock-downs, meeting the needs of their readers, and supporting their staff.

MTI’s blog (https://magazinetraining.com/category/blog/) focuses on news and tips on magazine publishing, but now contains an aggregated collection of tips on covering the COVID-19 story. This collection is added to daily.

Tips include articles on how journalists can take care of themselves while covering trauma, how to report on the pandemic with a non-science background, how to find and vet experts, and how different media outlets around the world are covering the story.

MTI recognizes that self-care and creative coverage are not the only important topics of the COVID-19 story. In addition to these tips, MTI includes key quotes from experts regarding various aspects of the pandemic, ways to fact-check information and debunk misinformation, and sources of reliable, up-to-date information and statistics.

MTI uses social media to encourage its community of Christians in publishing to share their local news, requests for prayer, and creative ways their ministry is handling this crisis. In a time when many are afraid to touch their mail, and therefore print magazines, many publishers have released their articles online without a paywall. Others are releasing audio articles, determined to continue to show God’s goodness.

In 2017, MTI hosted the first “Crisis Publishing Initiative” conference, with sessions on a variety of topics for journalists covering crisis situations. Twenty-two recorded sessions from that conference are available for free in the MTI Online library (https://magazinetraining.com/mti-online/).

MTI continues to offer its online training program, including e-books, training videos, live workshops, and online courses.

As many around the globe are in various stages of lockdown, MTI continues to provide opportunities for professional development to Christians in publishing.

About Magazine Training International:  The mission of Magazine Training International is to encourage, strengthen, and provide resources to Christian magazines as they seek to build the church and reach their societies for Christ. Over the last 31 years, MTI offered 70 conferences, courses, and seminars in East/Central Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. In addition to courses and conferences, MTI provides online courses and workshops, free e-books, training videos, course manuals in a dozen languages, and other print digital, audio, and audio-visual materials in a resource-packed library on MTI’s website.  More information is available on our website and Facebook.

Media Contact:  Sharon Mumper, President, (719) 598-9743  smumper@magazinetraining.com