The Training on Media Reporting on Democratic Governance is one of the three series of trainings organized by the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM). A total of 30 participants were chosen from among those who submitted applications to join the trainings. The applicants were coming from various journalists’ associations, media institutions (such as radio stations, television and print media), media NGOs and freelance journalists.
The objective of the training is to contribute in upgrading the quality of media reporting of Cambodian journalists in terms of skills and proper understanding on the role of media in the Cambodian society. The trainings are one of the components of the project of CCIM in promoting independent media in Cambodia. The other components include the media reporting through radio programs and the organizing of Cambodian journalists for them to work together to improve their professionalism.
Since 2009, CCIM has organized three conferences of Cambodian journalists which tackled the issues and problems affecting the media and the journalists in Cambodia. One of the resolutions agreed during the first conference was the standardization of the code of ethics for Cambodian journalists. In the second conference, Oct 27, 2009, the journalists approved the common code of ethics for Cambodian journalists. On May 4, 2010, during the celebration of the World Press Freedom Day, the Cambodian journalists agreed to bind themselves together as the Committee for the Strengthening of the Code of Ethics of Journalists and selected a Technical Team to work on the recommendations related to the promotion, implementation, and monitoring of the code of ethics. The Committee is composed of representatives and individuals representing the journalists’ associations, media institutions, media NGOs, and freelance journalists.
The trainings and the rest of the activities of the project on promoting independent media are supported by the British Embassy in Cambodia and the Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – Cambodia Office has also extended its generous support to some of the activities of the project.
For this training, a trainer from the Philippines, Mr. Karlon Rama, a journalist who is a member of the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (PECOJON), was invited as the main resource person of the training. Mr. Rama was in Cambodia during the last quarter of 2009 conducting assessment on media in Cambodia as part of PECOJON’s activities. With this, he has a grasp of the situation of the media in Cambodia and the journalists. Mr. Rama was assisted by a friend of his, Mr. Stephen James Taylaran, who is also from the Philippines and an experienced training facilitator.
