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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

In Cambodia, the country’s Disability Action Council (DAC) estimates that nearly five percent of the population of 14.9 million people is disabled. According to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Cambodia’s high disability rates can be attributed to three main factors:
• “past war casualties
• the ongoing risk of mines,
• the lack of prevention and primary care for various disabling diseases.”

The Cambodian media don’t often deal with the lives of the disabled. One reason may be shyness or ignorance on the part of the journalists about the life of people with disabilities. But two recent television training workshops have helped improve the way journalists portray people with disabilities in the media. They were jointly organized by DW Akademie, Germany’s GIZ and the Women’s Media Centre of Cambodia.

Journalists learn to see abilities instead of disabilities

In November and December of last year, 14 TV journalists and camera operators working for the Women’s Media Centre in Phnom Penh produced documentaries that show how people with disabilities live in Cambodia.

The journalists put together a profile of a blind man who works as a massage therapist at a Seeing Hands center. Another television feature documents the life of a young woman who only has one arm, while a third film puts the spotlight on the organization Epic Arts in the southern Cambodian town of Kampot.

Epic Arts raises awareness about the rights of people with disabilities in Kampot province.  Its central message is “see ability, not disability.” The organization provides physical rehabilitation, deaf education and skills training. In addition, it runs a café, where handicrafts are sold that were made by people with disabilities.

Coming face to face with people with disabilities was an eye-opening experience for many of the journalists who took part in the DW Akademie training. During the four-week workshop, this human experience may have been just as beneficial as the professional training in script-writing, camera operation and video editing.

By Raksmey Meas

Raksmey Meas, assistant lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, reports that Japan’s catastrophe involving the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami has yet again taken center stage in the world media’s attention.

Particularly in Cambodia, news related to Japan and its disaster racked up on front pages for more than a week following the initial shock on March 11^th.

Regarding the focus of Cambodian media on this tragedy, news angles seem to be anything on the updates of the situation – death toll, possible nuclear explosion and rescue efforts, etc.

Cambodian issues still more pressing

Despite appearing regularly on news pages and programs, it is apparent that Cambodian media do not treat this tragedy as anything more than one nation’s disaster. This may be due to the on-going affair that Cambodia is having with Thailand over the border dispute, says Raksmey.

Social media for world events

“However, there are those who take the stories to heart. These often are younger people with more active participation in any kind of national and world event. They use new media and its applications to retrieve news and spread messages on Japan’s events.

Facebook is yet again the tool of choice for these people to express their condolences and call for support for Japan. There are also those who use Twitter to get updates of the event from major newspaper and media outlets."

“With news related to Japan appearing every day,” says Raksmey, “Cambodian media have been showing their interest and effort to report more on world events despite their apparent challenges in both skills and resources."

Photo credits: Raksmey Meas