Consulting and training
James Breiner has created courses, trainings, and seminars for universities, media development organizations, and publishers around the world. His focus is helping journalists create viable organizations that serve the public with credible, trustworthy news and information. Here is a partial list of clients and partners.
College of Europe, Warsaw: Created an eight-unit online course, “The monetization and sustainability of news media in the digital age”; later led workshops in Warsaw for journalists from northern Africa and the former Soviet Union.
Poynter Institute: Created online courses used by the European Journalism Centre for training of journalists in Eastern Europe (topic: international development) and Indonesia (topic: economic journalism). Also, created and taught a four-week online course on investigative journalism for Gannett newspapers.
Universidad de la Sabana, Bogotá, Colombia: Taught the entrepreneurship segment of the Master’s in Journalism and Digital Communication.
International Center for Journalists, Mexico: Launched and managed the first digital journalism training center in Latin America, the Centro de Formación en Periodismo Digital, in Guadalajara, Mexico, in partnership with the Universidad de Guadalajara. Created courses, raised funds, and helped develop an online master’s program in digital journalism.
International Center for Journalists, China: Co-directed the master’s degree program in Global Business Journalism at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Developed marketing materials and an alumni relations program, recruited faculty members, and managed donor relations.
Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (García Márquez Foundation): Led a six-month series of webinars and online mentoring for 10 selected digital media entrepreneurs, in Spanish.
Crain Communications: Hired and trained the editorial staff for a newspaper startup, Crain’s Manchester Business, in Manchester, England; oversaw the launch of the print and web versions.
SembraMedia: Created an online course, Cómo elaborar el modelo de negocio con el Business Model Canvas (How to create a business model using the Business Model Canvas), for the SembraMedia Escuela (Online School).
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: Co-created the syllabus, videos and other content for a MOOC, in Spanish, “Entrepreneurial Journalism: How to monetize, promote and manage digital media.” The course had 3,000 participants. Later co-created a paid premium version for 200 participants.
DW Akademie: Presented a webinar, “How to be a successful digital media entrepreneur”, and gave feedback to 40 entrepreneurial journalists in developing countries.
Latest blog posts, English and Spanish
- Why your time is the most valuable commodity on EarthWe’re living in a new economy, the attention economy, where the most valuable commodity in the world is not oil or lithium or rare-earth minerals. Your time and attention are the prize—and every publisher, politician, and algorithm are in the race to grab them
- The interviewer called me ‘a sage’This week, I step into the interview seat to reflect on the… Read more: The interviewer called me ‘a sage’
- Get real: back to basics with people, not botsAmid rampant digital ad fraud, publishers are rediscovering the power of direct… Read more: Get real: back to basics with people, not bots
- AI in the real world: tools I trust and useLately, it seems AI is either here to save us, replace us, or ruin everything. I’ve been thinking about how to help you sort the signal from the noise.
- Trustworthy news thrives in SpainAt a time when many news media were laying people off or shutting down, elDiario was debt-free and profitable. Last year it made $1.8 million.
- Bonus, Trust #12 (Confianza): 8 posts translated into SpanishEl concepto de enfocarte en construir confianza debería guiar tu trabajo en medios — atraerá apoyo financiero.
- Trust #9: Bonus post in Spanish: La contraseña es ‘Confianza’Public trust in media has economic value; la confianza del público tiene… Read more: Trust #9: Bonus post in Spanish: La contraseña es ‘Confianza’
- Confianza #8: En una redacción que trabaja 24/7, todo gira en torno a lo básicoUns veterana redactora hace hincapié en la imparcialidad y la precisión por… Read more: Confianza #8: En una redacción que trabaja 24/7, todo gira en torno a lo básico
- Confianza #7: Los medios independientes luchan contra la Gran MentiraHay miles de medios independientes en todo el mundo —es decir, independientes de influencias políticas y comerciales— que trabajan para servir a sus comunidades con noticias e información confiable sobre las que la gente pueda accionar.
- Confianza #6: Esto es lo que el público quiere de los medios de comunicaciónRasmus Kleis Nielsen subrayó la importancia de mantenerse independiente de los poderosos intereses políticos y comerciales para mantener la confianza.