Deadline: 18-Jun-23
The Reporting on Crises and Disasters Training Programme from Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), offers journalists an opportunity to expand their expertise in reporting about humanitarian crises and disasters triggered by natural hazards.
Drawing on contemporary best practices of reporting and writing, the course will focus on how to cover a crisis or disaster while working with multiple and complex sources, and using mobile and online journalism skills. Trainers will also offer support and guidance on story ideas and production.
The training will be delivered in person in Bangkok, Thailand, over three days. The training will include instructor-facilitated discussions using desk-based scenarios and original stories from humanitarian crises and disasters, expert presentations, and story production support. The training will start on the 18th of July and finish on the 20th of July 2023.
During crises and disasters, the media’s role to cover, explain and provide accurate news and information to the public is critical. This workshop will review the main challenges and techniques involved in covering international-scale crises and disasters, using Reuters and other global news organizations as a model. They will concentrate on natural disasters and humanitarian crises of all sorts, and the special problems that can arise in covering them. Through briefings, practical writing exercises against deadlines and forays into multimedia reporting, the course will help journalists improve their skills and recognize problem areas, within an interactive group environment. It will explore the logistical challenges of reporting in crisis zones and look at ways to serve the information needs of disaster-affected populations as well as wider audiences.
This programme will help journalists to:
- Find, verify, and share reliable information for disaster-affected communities in a breaking news situation involving a crisis or disaster.
- Identify and verify reliable news sources in an emergency.
- Structure a fast-moving ongoing story for local and international audiences.
- Write clear, simple, and editorially balanced copy under pressure.
- Edit stories about a crisis or disaster.
- Conduct informative, accurate interviews with emergency relief services and disaster-affected individuals.
- Engage effectively with audiences and sources.
- Apply a ‘solutions journalism’ approach to crisis and disaster journalism and use this approach to identify and produce follow-up stories about disaster recovery.
Travel and Accommodation
- Participants from outside Thailand or those who need to travel by air to join the training will be provided with the most direct round-trip economy ticket from their home city or place of assignment to Bangkok. Their accommodations will be covered from 17th – 21st July 2023.
- Participants who will travel in close proximity to Bangkok will be provided an allowance.
- The programme will reimburse the fee for a single-entry visa, if applicable. Participants will be responsible for applying their own visa. Kindly note that visa approval is at the sole discretion of the Government of Thailand.
Please note: This programme is open to English speaking journalists who are nationals of and based in the following countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be journalists who are nationals of and working in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, or Viet Nam. They must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in any of these countries, with a minimum of two years’ professional experience and a good level of spoken and written English. Female journalists are highly encouraged to apply to this training.
- If applicants are not full-time staff members, they should be able to demonstrate considerable experience as a freelancer, including recent publications with client organizations.
- Applicants travelling from outside Thailand will need a passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity beyond July 18. All applicants who work for a news outlet as a full-time employee will also need a letter of support from their editors.
For more information, visit Thomson Reuters Foundation.