VIENTIANE, Laos (MindaNews/17 February) – MindaNews today signed a partnership agreement on an exchange program with media organizations from four other Asian countries at the end of a three-day meeting that started Monday in a hotel overlooking the mighty Mekong River in this Laotian capital.
MindaNews signed the agreement together with the Vietnam Forum of Environmental Journalists, China Forum of Environmental Journalists, Vientiane Times, and the Post Publishing PLC, publisher of the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s leading English newspaper.
The agreement entitles the parties to the agreement to send reporters to the countries where the media partners are based. MindaNews has chosen Vietnam and China as the destination sites, although the final decision rests with the Norwegian-based Fredskorpset, which funds the exchange program.
VFEJ has likewise signified interest to send one of its reporters to MindaNews. Nguyen Bac Son, VFEJ vice president, said that aside from learning how MindaNews reporters do their job, they also wanted to know about Mindanao cultures.
The exchange program aims to give journalists working with these media organizations an opportunity to improve their reportage on environment issues by allowing them to work in a foreign newsroom.
All of the five organizations involved in the program noted that their reporters need to enhance their skills in reporting environment issues. They said most, if not all, of their stories on the environment lacked in-depth analysis.
The five partners will meet in August in Bangkok, Thailand for the program’s mid-term review and in Hanoi, Vietnam for a planning session. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)