This course introduces students to a movement-centered approach to writing labour stories for publishing. We teach the values and perspectives of this approach, and the practical storytelling skills necessary to tell compelling workers’ stories.
Writing Worker Stories
Movement-Centered Labour Journalism
Course Description
This course introduces students to a movement-centered approach to writing labour stories for publishing. We teach the values and perspectives of this approach, and the practical storytelling skills necessary to tell compelling workers’ stories.
This course requires no prior experience in labour journalism. It is ideal for someone wishing to learn the basic elements of writing labour stories.
- Session Schedule: 6 Online Sessions, Every Week
- Course Fee: USD$60 (Regular Price) / USD$40 (Students/Workers/Unemployed)
- Class Size: Class Limited to 10 Students
Registration Deadline: Oct 20, 2025
Course Facilitator
Chie Matsumoto is a journalist at media cooperative Unfiltered and an adjunct media instructor in the Faculty of Law at Hosei University in Japan. Matsumoto was a correspondent for German Press Agency, dpa, and a reporter for the International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun. Her works appear in books, Gender Expression Guidebook (Shogakukan Publishing, 2022), State of Sexual Harassment in Media (Bungei Shunju Publishing, 2020) among others, and in translation of The Purpose of Power (co-translator, Akashi Publishing, 2021).
Class Time
- 4:30pm: Pakistan
- 5pm: India/Sri Lanka
- 5:30pm: Bangladesh
- 6pm: Myanmar
- 6:15pm: Nepal
- 6:30pm: Indonesia/Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam
- 7:30pm: Hong Kong/Taiwan/China/Philippines/Singapore/Malaysia
- 8:30pm: Japan/Korea
Class Project
As part of the course, the course facilitator will guide students in developing and writing a story. We will support the pitching and publishing of these stories.
Session Schedule
Session 1 – Oct 21, 2025: What is Labour Journalism?
What are the principles and values of labour journalism? How is it different from mainstream journalism?
Session 2 – Oct 28, 2025: What is the Story?
How to identify the issues and setting the angle of your story What makes a compelling story that helps readers understand workers?
Session 3 – Nov 4, 2025: Background Research
How to conduct background research? What sources? How much research is enough?
Session 4 – Nov 11, 2025: Interview Skills
How can you win the trust of your interviewees? How long is too long? how far can we dig into someone’s life?
Session 5 – Nov 18, 2025: Structure Your Story
How do you structure your story? What, once again, is the story you are trying to tell?
Session 6 – Nov 25, 2025: Pitching Your Story
How to pitch your story to labour and social movement publications?
Registration is now closed for this course. Please check out other courses on offer.
To contact us: convenor@labourschool.org
