About The Fellowship

IMAGING OUR MEKONG FELLOWSHIPS

IMAGING OUR MEKONG is an annual fellowship programme, focusing on transboundary issues, for journalists in print, photography and television from the Mekong countries. Open to nationals of the countries in the Mekong Region, the programme has been supported by the Rockefeller Foundation since 2002. More than 100 journalists have gone through the programme.

The 'Imaging Our Mekong' programme seeks to provide a professional and independent venue, nurtured by organisations grounded in the South-east Asia and the global South, to develop the capacity of journalists from the Mekong region through training and actual reportage on cross-border issues at a time of economic and social change. It also provides opportunities for journalists to interact with their peers in the region.

It encourages the writing of articles and production of other media products from a region often under-reported in mainstream media or where material often comes from foreign journalists. The programme encourages in-depth reporting that contains the voices of different sources, including marginalised sectors of society. Products of the fellowship include books, CDs and exhibits of photographs taken by the journalists.

The Imaging Our Mekong programme is a marriage of two successful media fellowships -- Probe Media Foundation's 'Imaging the Mekong' and Inter Press Service Asia-Pacific's 'Our Mekong: A Vision amid Globalisation'.
 
The fellowship programme consists of:

    •    Workshop on Mekong issues and media production: Participants attend a four-day workshop on cross-border issues, including field trips to expose them to these and other issues. Documentary film fellows in the programme travel to the Philippines for a 20-day workshop on documentary production.
    •    Reportage on cross-border issues in two Mekong countries: Fellows are provided a sub-grant to travel and produce their in-depth reports (documentary, article or photo essay) on a cross-border issue that they are proposed, and have been accepted, by the IOM programme
   
    •    Peer Review Workshop/Media Forum: After completing their assignments and getting them published/used locally, fellows gather once again to present and evaluate one another's work.

The programme includes the distribution by IPS and PMFI of the fellows' work through their news services and products. In keeping with the spirit of creating more awareness and information within the region, Imaging Our Mekong also translates selected works into languages of the Mekong countries.

ABOUT IPS ASIA-PACIFIC AND PROBE MEDIA FOUNDATION INC

IPS ASIA-PACIFIC

The impact of regional and global events and processes on countries and communities can be found in timely news, contextualised features and analyses that IPS Asia-Pacific produces for the daily news wire that is the IPS World Service, and for its special bulletins in various Asian languages. This is in keeping with IPS' role as an alternative voice in the midst of traditional, mainstream views, providing news and analyses on issues relevant to the global South. It looks at the stories behind the headlines, relying on its network of journalists in more than 100 countries.
Media Development and Training
IPS Asia-Pacific is a non-profit foundation registered in Manila, the Philippines, and develops and carries out a increasing range of work in media development, specialised reporting and training in the region.
Apart from the Mekong media fellowships, these include/have included:
    •    a feature service on water and development, called Asia Water Wire
    •    hosting and coordinating the Asia Media Forum, a venue for journalists to share insights about the media profession and the media’s role in promoting democracy, human rights and development
    •    special series on migration and reproductive health, reporting on conflict, HIV/AIDS in Asia and Africa, and issues of relevance to Asia and North America
    •    production of independent conference newspapers, including at the XV International AIDS Conference in 2004, and the Second Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive Health in 2003
    •    production of a supplement (‘Voices’) for the World Social Forum in Brazil, January 2005
    •    training of young journalists by pairing them with senior writers

IPS Asia-Pacific also works with journalism and other interns from the region.

Our Reach

IPS Asia-Pacific counts among its subscribers major English newspapers and on-line publications, local language papers, non-government organisations and individuals.

Our Products

Real-time delivery by e-mail of IPS news, customised to client-chosen geographic or thematic categories; or password access to the IPS World Service at www.ipsnews.net

Selections of stories translated into Asian languages such as Thai, Mandarin, Nepali, Hindi and Tamil.

Our Publications

‘Invisible Borders: Reportage from Our Mekong’, which compiles the work of 16 writers and photojournalists who were fellows under IPS Asia-Pacific’s media fellowship programme for reporting on transboundary issues

‘Exploring Borders: Reportage from Our Mekong’, the second compilation of work under the Mekong media programme ‘Risks and Rewards: Stories from the Philippine Migration Trail’, a compilation of articles along the theme of migration and reproductive health.

‘Voices and Viewpoints: When Youth Make News’ features the articles written by teams of senior journalists and young writers who worked together for a month, in seven East Asian countries.

‘Dateline Earth: Journalism as if the Planet Mattered’, by Kunda Dixit. Also available in Indonesian (Dateline Earth: Jurnalisme Seakan Planet Itu Penting)

‘Cities and Citizens: The AP 2000 Experience’, a compilation of articles and other material on the liveability of cities in Asia.

For additional information, inquiries and ways to support the work of IPS Asia-Pacific, please contact:

Johanna Son
Inter Press Service (IPS)
Email:ipsasia@ipsnews.net
Website: www.ipsnews.net

PROBE MEDIA FOUNDATION INC.

The Probe Media Foundation, Inc. (PMFI) is a non-stock, non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the quality of media in the Philippines and in the Asia-Pacific region.  PMFI is accredited by the Philippine Council for NGO Certification and is a certified donee institution by the Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue.  

PMFI promotes social justice and democracy, child and youth development, community capacity building and encourages dialogue through media. The foundation implements programmes and projects that encourage the production of responsible and ethical media programmes and media-related activities for children and adults from all sectors of society. Its projects and activities include:

Media Seminars - Training seminars conducted by respectable media practitioners that emphasise responsible journalism, values education and skills improvement.  Seminars are also geared to train non-media people how to understand and conduct themselves toward media.

Broadcast Journalism Internship Programme - Students and Communication graduates are provided training and work experience in various aspects of broadcast television by immersing in the television productions of Probe Productions, Inc. This is conducted the whole year round.

Kabataan “Youth” News Network (KNN) - Youth from all over the Philippines are trained in video production and their reports air weekly over national television. This is the only TV show shot, written, conceptualised and reported by young people. UNICEF funds KNN.

For additional information, please contact:

Yasmin Mapua-Tang
Executive Director
Probe Media Foundation, Inc.
Unit 505 Sterten Place Condominium
116 Maginhawa Street UP Teachers' Village,
Quezon City 1101 Philippines
Tel. (632) 433-0456  Fax. (632) 433-0457
Email: probefound@yahoo.com
Website: www.probefound.com