My Reaction on OhmyNews and Citizen Journalism

As getting busy with piles of work at my desk in the capital-based office, I also wait if there is a tip from a citizen from the field in the 24 cities and provinces across the country. This is my photo taken on December 16, 2006.


Though I now stay at my desk very often, I completely agree with what the South Korean OhmyNews says “Every Citizen is a Reporter”. On November 24-28, I went to South Korea to join Asian Editors’ Forum organized by the Seoul-based Asian Journalists Association. The forum also discussed “Citizen Journalism”, including OhmyNews. OhmyNews is now spreading around the world. Journalists are citizens, so citizens can be journalists as well. Citizen journalism is for the public. It thinks, writes, and freely debates about the public issues and interests so that it can bring ideas for a good change with development in their communities.

While community and citizens are now more involving with each other, citizen journalism is really needed in our world, especially for breaking news. Media expect what is unexpected but who knows in advance what happens next such as crimes and natural disasters. Bombing, committing suicide, and other accidents very often occur and most of times, professional journalists are not at the scenes when incidents happen or they arrive late. So, photo and video journalists can miss their good pictures. They might find out if anyone has the pictures. It is, therefore, very unique for citizen journalists who are at the scenes. With their cell phones, citizen journalists can take pictures and though quality is not good enough, it is better than nothing. Let see the Tsunami in a few Asian countries in 2004. Were any professional newspersons at the scenes when it was happening? Many ordinary people shot photos through their cell phones and then passed to media to air on TVs and post on websites.

Citizen journalists can call radio newsrooms to directly report from the scene and professional journalists can update the stories respectively. Without citizen journalists in the fields, there is no immediate breaking news and no hot pictures. Citizen journalists can give their professional counterparts a tip so that professional newspersons are able to follow up and bring quality with accuracy and non-biased news. Citizen journalism is a spark from the grassroots to gear up a nation toward democracy and human rights. It is lightning to hit dictatorial world for public to gather and participate in society. It really responds to citizens’ questions and plays the key role in the democratic system. Citizen journalism is an educational center and a mean to collect concepts of citizens in communities for debate to reach common interest. It can be a voice of the voiceless and powerless. Without it, voice of communities at grassroots cannot be reached to top policy/decision makers. However, professional media organisations have to provide citizen journalists basic journalism and code ethics so that they can improve their news providing from the fields. END

About me

Warm Greeting from Cambodia

I am Chhay Sophal, one of the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge “killing fields” survivors. I am now a journalist. I have been in the career for more than 10 years. During my work as a reporter of Reuters News Agency in Phnom Penh for seven years (1995-2002) and editor-in-chief of a local weekly newspaper for about 4 years (2003-Present), I have met a lot of both best and worst experiences in my least developed nation, in Southeast Asia. I am a general-news journalist or convergent journalist if I could say. I am also one of the nine Board Members of Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ), the country's leading group of journalists. CCJ was established in 2000 and it has supported by Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In recent years, I have written many articles about HIV/AIDS and I am happy to do it. I am also a part-time journalism lecturer at the Department of Media & Communication of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. My hobbies: Boxing, soccer and jokes. I don’t smoke but enjoy a bit drinking with friends. My photo showned was taken in Rome, Italy, in October 2006.
Please contact me by Email: chhaysophal@yahoo.com and Tel: 855 12 904 894
Tel/Fax: 855 23 884 094

Information and Health Care Survive AIDS Woman

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazwJ7-qAHVAJocQfB9-K1hfMpwvPPyMzDcqLN7yAYbfR319V826x9lIGYMZscRGzbYMwJQzZPUZr2enHZ3zam51vz3Z0RfFJqS1ucuxd1SyYbfmyhn3MSZ4ONA48xjzTWLRSG7G236vyy/s1600-h/PLHA1.JPG">Story and picture by Chhay Sophal

Information and Health Care Survive AIDS Woman


“I really wanted to die when I was seriously sick,” said a widow as she struggled to hold back tears. At 45 years of age, Sek Sovann is living with HIV/AIDS and looking after three kids. She got the virus from her husband, a former government soldier, who died in 2000, two months after his blood test.

“I felt terrible shock and when I leant that my husband had AIDS,” she said with a shaking voice. “Since then, I became weaker and weaker and last year I fell seriously sick. I cried days and nights. I didn’t know what would happen to my young children after I died.”

But now, with assistance of a local non-governmental organisation, Community Poverty Reduction (CPR), who contacted Sovann in 2003, Sovann has restarted her life with the kids -- 7 and 11 year-old daughters and a son, 17, -- in the village of Kruos, Kampong Chhnang province.

“Through our home-based care work, we found her lying in her home. At that time, Kampong Chhnang did not have any access to ART (Anti-Retroviral Therapy). We sent her to a health center in Prey Veng province to get some medicine,” said Chhoueng Kimsan, CPR programme officer. With support from CPR, Sovann now gets ART regularly in the provincial health center and she can do her farming and enjoy life with her kids.

“I am really happy now because I am able to carry on my living with my kids. Without the information and health care from Community Poverty Reduction, I would have died and my children would be orphans now,” Sovann said with a smile.

There are about 10 people in Kruos village living with HIV/AIDS. Five of them get home-based care from CRP, Chhoueng Kimsan said.

Speaking at the World AIDS Day on December 1, Teng Kunthy -- Secretary General of the National AIDS Authority --, said although HIV transmission in the sex industry has decreased in recent ye

Long way to go for Cambodian Journalists to use multimedia techniques

Story rewritten for radio
While most of the global reporters are tending to use multimedia techniques, their Cambodian counterparts are still staying far behind. After ending some three decades of civil conflicts, including the Khmer Rouge “killing fields”, the least developed nation in Southeast Asia has strived hard to develop its country.

Though it is integrating itself into the regional and global bodies such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the World Trade Organisation, most of the Cambodian journalists, especially those who are working with the local media companies, are not familiar with technology and do not know how to use “Multimedia Techniques”.

Pen Samitthy, Editor-in-Chief of Rasmei Kampouchea which is one of the country’s leading newspapers, said English language is the main challenge for Cambodian reporters to act multi-functions.

Sound clips:
“We want our journalists to have multi-works but we cannot do what we want. You know nearly all my reporters cannot understand English, so they cannot use computer. It sounds a bit funny to say this but this is the truth. Some of them can use computer but they type very slowly. So they like hand writing rather than typing in computer. For my stingers in the provinces, they send their articles to the main office by taxi. That’s why we hire a few computer typists to rewrite their articles.”

Samitthy said not only his employees but many other Cambodian journalists are not different from his reporters.

Yim Sphoan, a TV and radio news producer also agrees with Samitthy saying that his companies do not care much with news stories but much on entertainments.

Sound clip:
“My station has both TV and radio sections and we have different reporters doing different jobs. We rarely send a cameraman to take both footage and text. Cameramen do not know how to write news while reporters cannot get good footages. However, the TV section can share news stories to radio section but radio cannot give video images to the TV partner. We need time to become our media people to do multi-functions. The main thing is English language and it is not so easy for our present working journalists to learn. I think multi-functions can be done until the station upgrades its equipments and provides its employees training.”

Many local journalists also echo what their employers raised saying that doing multi functions is not getting product quality but just quantity.

Are Cambodian reporters “backpack journalists”?

In many countries around the world, reporters become “backpack journalists” who go out to the fields to do multi functions in terms of mass media. In the field, a journalist can act as a reporter, videographer, and a photographer at the same time. S/he can gather news stories with photos and video images and sound clips. S/he can edit the products s/he gets from the fields and send to the desk through satellite phone and email. Such backpack journalist is really flexible and familiar with the evolution of modern technology. S/he often goes out the field to fish news for printing and broadcasting and posting on website. Her/his news desk can get reporter-driven story – a story generated by reporter without any instruction from their assignment editors.

What about Cambodian Journalists?
It is hard to say but generally speaking most of the Cambodian reporters are not backpack journalists. Of course some of them can file stories with their own photos and video images taken from the fields but their products are not good enough. They do not know what are the best news images or quality for their stories. On the other hand, most of the local media organisations get only editor-/producer-driven stories. Journalists rarely go to the fields to take news until they get assignments from their assignment editors and TV/radio producers. Cambodian journalists rarely do investigative stories while the country’s judicial system is still weak. Journalists can be threatened and sued and always lose their cases at the court when they face with high ranking officials and the rich. Additionally, most of Cambodian media seem to support the strong ruling party and its government in both direct and indirect ways. Therefore, Cambodian media organizations accept to get editor-/producer-driven stories rather than reporter-driven news.

Cambodian Journalists and Use Multimedia Techniques

It is so interesting to read chapter 10 of Convergent Journalism. I really agree with what the authors said “Journalists need to educate themselves to think in terms of multimedia reporting.” (Page 148, par 3). It is a great opportunity to allow journalists to know how to perform multi functions while the global technology is booming so fast. With multi works, journalists can “present a different form of storytelling and a different form of narrative structure” (Page 149, par 2). In order to reach such goal and to successfully perform as convergent newspersons, journalists need to upgrade their knowledge of technology through training at the digital era. With the knowledge, journalists can grab every chance and absorb multi-skills in their profession.

What about Cambodia Journalists?
It’s hard for most of the Cambodian reporters. For the print, some journalists know how to report news and take pictures with digital cameras and video cameras. They know how to send stories and pictures through email but they do not know how to edit/rescue their poor images. They don’t know how to use satellite phone and most of them don’t understand English and don’t know how to use computers. Then, the provincial reporters send their stories and pictures to their main office in the capital by taxis. That’s why every print media has their computer typists to rewrite their reporters’ hand written articles. Most of the print media also have Websites but they do not update news. Why? Because there are few viewers. Six of the seven TV channels have their own radio stations and all of them have websites as well. Though the TV companies are multimedia, their journalists do not have multi-functions. They have reporters of both radio and TV sections. However, they have joint programmes such as live concerts and other talk-show.

There are long way to go for Cambodian journalists to be familiar with using “Multimedia Techniques”. They can do until their media owners offer them a series of training on the latest tool of technology while journalists themselves need to upgrade their knowledge. Sop far, most of the TV and radio journalists still use tapes, not digital.

Will Print Media be dead soon?

Though some people are expressing their pessimism that Print Media would be dead at the time of the electronic medium evolution, I still strongly believe that they never easily end. I really agree with their saying that TV, Internet, G3 phone, including radio, are moving so fast in terms of technology and they can attract more audiences from the print. They can be right because besides radios we have small potable flat TV putting in buses and cars so that the passengers can have news with both sound and pix from the TV screens. They are popular now. People can listen to radio and TV sound while they are working. But they absolutely can’t work while they are reading newspapers and magazines. On the other hand, people can listen and view news stories with both audio and picture clips on booming internet at their homes and other internet café. So they really don’t need newspapers and magazines any more, do they?

With this regard, if I may say, the world still need the print and will need them forever. For instance, most of TVs and radio channels provide only protocol and positive news without in-depth analysis while the print are differently doing. Let see a story about a popular star, for instance. TVs and radio channels rarely file a negative story of pop stars but most of their programmes just pop concerts, talk-shows and conducting live face-to-face interviews with simple, good, and supportive questions. I don’t refer to all TV and radio channels. I, of course, appreciate Larry King Live of CNN and Hard Talk of BBC doing their good job. They dare ask sensitive and tough questions to their guest interviewees while the other channels don’t.

For traditional newspapers and magazines, we can keep them on our beds, tables, cars, and even in barns. We can read them whenever we want without connecting to computers, power and internet. While news and pictures on both radio and TV can fly into the sky after their news programmes broadcasting, news on newspapers and magazines, including other print materials, can last long. When we finish our reading, we can immediately pass from one to another. If we miss reading a newspaper and a magazine in the morning we can do it later in the day. That’s why many countries’ leading newspapers and magazines can fish lots of advertisements from business companies. Billboard is a part of the print and many advertising billboards are hanging on the street sides and other places around the world. So, are the print dead in the soon decades? Who knows?

Strength of Cambodia Broadcast

Cambodia is a least-developed nation where some 85 percent of some 14 millions of population is living in the rural areas. The nation is the territory of the young as more than 50 percent of the population is children and youth (Report of the Ministry of Planning). On the other hand, the number of illiteracy is still high if compared with neighbouring nations. Undeniably, children and youth rarely read newspapers but a bit for magazines regarding with pop stars, sports, and other entertainment. What about the illiterate people? No, they absolutely not. With this regard, it is hard for most of the print media to get strong market.

Of course, radio, TV and cable TV, and mobile phone become more popular in Cambodia. The country has some 30 radio stations and 7 TV channels while several private cable TV companies are operating in nationwide, each of which provides up to 70 foreign channels to their clients. TV channels really attract more viewers and most of them also run their own radio stations. They can attract many key advertisers to play ads on their airwave while most of the print media are facing trouble with income from advertisement, except a few leading newspapers and magazines.
Broadcast can give their audiences -- all type of citizens -- sound and video picture clips while the print has only photos and texts. Broadcast can insert breaking news in their live programme while the print can wait until next day and next week. Mobile phone is also popular among the youth and middle-aged persons and online is still limited in Cambodia due to computer and internet non-access.
However, broadcast do not have in-depth analysis like the print do and they must practice self-censorship to avoid trouble from regularly undergo license reviews from the government’s Ministry of Information. END

My thought on Convergence Journalism

I have no much idea to say about “Convergence Journalism” because I do not have the instructor’s book to read. Let me try, however, to say something about it. I still remember during the last summer course at Ateneo de Manila University where I attended Dr. Quinn’s afternoon lecture with Karen. Dr. Quinn showed us a movie describing about it. At that time, I also shared my personal experience when I worked for Reuters. You see, my bureau chief sent me to cover news in the fields and he gave me a camera and a small digital video camera. It looked a bit crazy for a journalist who carried two different cameras to take pictures while reporting news. But this is life and I felt so proud when my pictures and video were used though quality were not perfect. During the Q and A session of Dr. Quinn’s lecture, I said and I now still say that “A journalist must be ready to do everything regarding media”. S/he should know how to perform multi-function and such work has applied to many Cambodian journalists for years. Nearly all TV channels, newspapers, and magazines in Cambodia, we can see on the screens and pages showing that “Story and picture by XXX”. Many TV reporters now use video cameras by themselves. They use satellite phones to send news and pictures to their stations. They sometimes stand their cameras on tripods and then they run to stand in front of the cameras to report news. Reality, it is nothing wrong when camerapersons and photographers report/write news while reporters take pictures. Radio reporters can also take pictures to post on their companies’ websites. I really agree that some quality is not good for a journalist who takes multi-function but it is better than nothing. A journalist looks like a solder in the battlefield. I mean many solders know how to use all kind of weapons and forced-fighting attack depending on the situation. So, why not for journalists? Journalists must be ready to do their jobs in mass media. Some print journalists can design and use photoshop programme to edit pictures. They have to understand about copy editing. Many other journalists also know well about IT so that they can deal well with websites while technology in our world is non-stopped developing. In short, many journalists around the globe are taking “Convergence Journalism” allowing them to learn more how to deliver all kind of media products to the public.