The first Mekong Media Forum ended Dec. 12 with a discussion of the stereotypes and historical hurts that mark countries’ nationalist coverage of their neighbours and ‘others’ in their midst, such as migrant workers in Thailand. Continue Reading

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 12 (TerraViva) – When it comes to reporting about their neighbouring countries, journalists in Thailand’s mainstream media display a national security bias, often presenting a distorted view of reality and reflecting some prejudices against them. Continue Reading

By Joel Chong

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (TerraViva) – No, it’s not that odd buzzing in your ears you get from sleeping with your earphones on.Perched like small chickens in little grey booths are the Mekong Media Forum’s tireless translators stringing out sentences faster than you can say ‘What did he say?’

“Sometimes, when they (participants) start talking, they don’t really remember there are six other languages working in the background (catching up),” said Lin Zixin, our Mandarin translator from Singapore. Continue Reading

By Lynette Lee Corporal

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 12 (TerraViva) — The new media has created a space for citizens in the Mekong region yearning to give free rein to their desire for expression, bringing about a force never before seen or heard in the wide, wide virtual world and elsewhere.

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Media coverage of pandemics across the Mekong region has been a learning curve for journalists, as they struggle to understand hitherto unknown viruses, keep their audiences abreast of the latest public health emergencies and give them correct and preventive information. Continue Reading

By Stanislaus Jude Chan

Like many of her fellow villagers, 22-year-old Khampheng Manivone first heard about  community radio when letters were sent to different villages in Khoun – one of the poorest districts in Laos – asking for volunteers to be part of the Khoun Community Radio Development (KCRD) project. Continue Reading

How can journalists make a story gender-fair? What makes for effective media training programmes? How have new media made a difference? These were the key questions that the third day of the Mekong Media Forum focused on. Continue Reading

Lynette Lee Corporal talks to Nguyen Ngoc Tran, a professor at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, about his take on the Mekong Media Forum. Continue Reading