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Kyle James has been conducting DW Akademie workshops in Asia and Central Asia since 2008, covering radio production, multimedia journalism and print.

The smell was nauseating and the sight quite a depressing one. The ten participants of the Climate Change Workshop in Chennai / India, along with the two trainers and our guide, had just scrambled up to the top of a building to get a better view of the Kodungaiyur dumpyard in the northern part of the city. We were there to see how waste disposal, unregulated construction, and short-sighted transportation and energy policies were harming the environment and contributing to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases and paving over important carbon sinks like wetlands.

Kodungaiyur, an area that once featured marshes and cattle grazing land, had been turned into something more befitting Dante’s Inferno—a hazy landscape of rotting garbage, heavy industry and smoke-belching trucks under a relentless, blistering sun. And, it was all located near the homes of about 100,000 people, almost all poor.

The scene was representative of the myriad environmental problems that India faces, and which are beginning to have real impacts on the wider region. And almost every day during the workshop, the Indian papers carried reports on new environmental problems the country was up against. Chennai’s water table was dropping; fish catches were declining; traffic was increasing. Devastating floods in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand claimed the lives of an estimated 1,000, while more than 2,800 were still missing at this writing. Some experts said that the kinds of intense storms that washed away bridges, temples and homes there were likely to become more frequent due to the changing climate.

The real-world events happening outside our seminar room were motivating factors for the participating journalists’ from India, Nepal and Bangladesh. But so were the things we witnessed first hand—polluted rivers, eroding beaches, coal-fired power plants—as well as the people we talked to whose lives and livelihoods were hurting because of them. In some ways it was a sobering time, but it highlighted the urgency of communicating the consequences of climate change to the larger public, and perhaps convincing policy makers to take serious action.

Author: Kyle James

Kunthy studied literature, education science and political science at different universities in Phnom Penh. During her studies, she also gained journalistic skills at the Cambodian Ministry of Information.

These days, Kunthy works for WMC Radio FM 102, which produces educational programs designed for all sectors of Cambodian society, especially women in rural areas. In this blog post, she gives us some insight into her work as a journalist in Cambodia.

1. Do you have a personal motto for your journalistic work?

Working from a woman’s heart for society and development.

2. Is there a situation, interview or story that has changed your life?

After having interviewed disabled people, my daily activities changed. I did not try very hard to reach my goals before, but the struggle of disabled people inspired me. Disabled people try very hard to overcome challenges in order to live their own lives.

3. What do you love about your work?

I have a chance to meet all types of people and learn about their real lives. Then I can broadcast their life experiences to educate people.

4. And what do you hate?

I hate journalists who use their skills wrongly. For instance, some use their skills to threaten people to get money.

5. Your journalistic dream would be…

…to be a famous female journalist in Asia.

6. Your most important tool is …

…a sound recorder and a laptop.

7. What do you still want to learn? Is there a question about your profession that you keep asking yourself?

I would like to learn more about the format of radio magazines and about multi-media and online journalism.

8. Do you have a blog or website?

No.

9. What is your favorite website?

Google.

10. Which website do you visit every day?

One website I use every day is CEN News.

11. How much time do you spend online every day?

A few hours every day.

12. Do you use social networks? Twitter, Facebook or others?

Facebook.

13. What makes social media special for you?

I get hot news through social media and I can connect to other people in the world. In addition, social media is a good place to express opinions and to share experiences.

14. If you could write a text message to the world, what would it be?

Press freedom in Cambodia

Taufique Ahmed

Taufique Ahmed has been working at Channel i, Bangladesh’s leading private satellite TV channel, since 2003. Currently, Taufique is Manager of Program Development in the News & Current Affairs department at Channel i, which was launched in 1999. His tasks include responding to viewers’ questions, comments and/or complaints regarding news programming and scheduling. He also monitors and supervises social media in the Development Journalism department – and blogs regularly in Bengali and English.

What was the most exciting topic that you worked on in the recent past?
Farmers’ Voices in Budget, a TV dialogue session between farmers and policymakers was a great way to explore how thousands of farmers talk about their demands in front of the key policymakers of the country, mostly ministers. I was part of the production team covering this unique event and was able to see in depth how media has played a role in awakening farmers from the grassroots level in a country like Bangladesh.

Do you have a personal motto for your journalistic work?
I want to stay honest, dedicated and precise in my work. I respect journalism as the noblest of professions, where you don’t sell lies, but rather you inform people with the right information.

Is there a situation or story that has changed your life?
An audio slideshow that I produced in Berlin during my visit to Deutsche Welle in 2009 as a participant of a Web 2.0 workshop changed my life and still inspires me to carry on with my work. The link is here: Berlin stands on history.

Taufique Ahmed (left)

What do you love about your work?
I love the working environment. I have nice colleagues from whom I am learning endlessly.

And what do you hate?
Nothing much really.

Your journalistic dream would be…
I want to be an editor of an online news station who will be supervising the multimedia journalism department. I’d love to be a regular podcaster.

Your most important tool is …
…the internet and mobile phones.

What do still want to learn? Is there a question about your profession that you keep asking yourself?
I want to learn video and sound editing. It’s quite important nowadays for a journalist. ‘More systematic’ would be my earnest demand. If everything happened more orderly by the end of the day, it would have been much better.

Taufique Ahmed

Do you have a blog or website?
Yes: tfqhmd.wordpress.com and more. I don’t have a website of my own.

What is your favorite website? Which website do you visit every day?
Mashable, Radiolab and Media Helping Media.

How much time do you spend online every day?
Almost all day, in fact.

Do you use social networks? Twitter, Facebook or others?
Who doesn’t? Facebook.com/onlinejournalist, twitter.com/taufiqueahmed, twitter.com/iwesocial, facebook.com/iwesocial, about.me/tfqhmd

What makes social media special for you?
Social media is a broadcaster in itself. You get the news here before anyone actually plans to write it professionally. And, your network is the key to spreading your very own thoughts.

If you could write a text message to the world, what would it be?
Let us be humans in a true sense.

Ta Thi Ngoan

In this installment of Journalists@Work, we’ll introduce you to Ta Thi Ngoan, an editor with Quang Ninh Radio & Television (QTV) in Vietnam. She has worked for this station in the country’s northern Quang Ninh province for almost four years. QTV was DW Akademie’s partner in a three-year project called “Radio for the People” and during these three years, Ta Thi Ngoan took part in a number of our workshops.

Ta Thi Ngoan is now in charge of presenting a live radio program called “60 Minutes You and I”. It’s a call-in program for young listeners and runs every Sunday. She also produces some stories related to tourism, which is a key industry in Quang Ninh province, since it is home to Vietnam’s famous Ha Long Bay.

What was the most exciting topic that you worked on in the recent past?

I am excited about most of the topics I work on. However, the most exciting is “How to overcome failure?”.

Do you have a personal motto for your journalistic work?

Failure is the mother of success.

Is there a situation or interview that has changed your life?

Well, in one of my shows last year, there was a call from a blind person. He was a student at Hanoi Law University. Although he was unable to see, he tried his best to study and to help other sightless people. His story about overcoming difficulties and his positive thoughts about life impressed me very much. After that show, I wanted to change to have a more meaningful life.

Your journalistic dream would be…

That my products would be useful for the audience – that our listeners could take advantage of what we are doing.

Your most important tool is…

Oh, that’s a computer.  It’s always with me – sometimes, we even share the bed together.

Ta Thi Ngoan (center) during a DW Akademie workshop in March 2013

What do still want to learn? Is there a question about your profession that you keep asking yourself?

How to create a lively conversation on air.

How much time do you spend online every day?

Almost 12 hours per day

Do you use social networks? Twitter, Facebook or others?

I use Facebook everyday. I like it because it connects strangers who then become friends. We may not know each other but we can share our thoughts, feelings and ideas about life.

If you could write a text message to the world, what would it be?

Be understanding of other people’s ideas and desires.