(Above, Guardian HQ in London, credit: The Guardian.)

Every company is a media company but that doesn’t mean every company knows how to be one. That’s what the UK based The Guardian newspaper will be offering: training in digital media production.

Natasha Wynarczyk and David Woode report in the Press Gazette that The Guardian will offer training courses in digital journalism at a cost of $14,200 (£9,000 per person).

Richard Lindsay, spokesperson for the Guardian News and Media group, said:

“The Guardian aims to promote open, courageous and professional journalism that can take advantage of the new information systems rather than being threatened by them. That is the primary aim.”

“Often to get the input of people in the industry on a regular basis is difficult but we think we can bring something to these courses. It’s as simple as that – we’ve got something to contribute.”

Well said. The Guardian has a lot to contribute. It has been one of the top pioneers in digital journalism and it has won awards for its publishing and its journalism. This should be a great course.

This is a great idea for US newspapers too. Teaching their communities about digital media production would result in an army of citizen journalists that know what they are doing, and know how to do it well. That would generate some great content for the newspapers.

And teaching local businesses how to interact with the media and how to produce media would also generate content and revenue. $14,000 per person is chump change for many corporations.

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Please see Shel Israel on the same subject: Why the Enterprise Needs a Few Good Journalists - Forbes