Perspectives
by Lia Sciortino
Perspectives
China’s PR Problem Rears Its Head
Johanna Son
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CHIANG MAI, Dec 11 (TerraViva/IPS Asia-Pacific) - Powerful neighbour. A rising power. Old friend. Big, secretive investor. Big boy of the region.
These were some of the terms participants at a talk-show format discussion at the Mekong Media Forum used when asked to share the images of China they get from the media.
Reading Media
Johanna Son
BANGKOK -- Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. What images might these words conjure up in the minds of international consumers of news? Perhaps war, maybe the Khmer Rouge. Or they might say, ‘Oh, it’s that those countries that had that war some time ago. . . they’re near one another, and they’re all the same’.
China: Benign Bully of the Mekong?
Johanna Son
SYDNEY, Oct 3 (IPS Asia-Pacific) – Over the last decade or so, China’s deft use of soft power has seen South-east Asian neighbours’ view of it change from a looming threat to a largely friendly, if still imposing, giant to the north.
Obituary: Our Cheerful Phet
Lao television journalist Souvannaphet Champhone or ‘Phet’, a fellow in the ‘Imaging Our Mekong’ programme, passed away on Jul. 26, 2009. He had liver cancer.
Phet, who was 43, will be remembered for his cheerfulness, which made it easy for him to make friends. He was also always ready to help out, whether in sharing his experiences with other journalists or being the perfect host to friends visiting Vientiane.
Born in Ban Dongbong, Champone district, Savannakhet province on Jun. 6, 1966, Phet studied Spanish in Dongkok University. He began his career with Lao National Television in 1991. For 18 years, he worked as a television producer and host.
Phet joined the Imaging Our Mekong Fellowship programme in September 2007 to March 2008 and joined colleagues from the media from other Mekong countries and the Philippines. His work during the fellowship includes ‘The Horse Carriage Driver’, produced in Manila, and ‘At What Cost: Cheap Chinese Products in Laos”, produced in Laos.
Many have written to send kind words to his family and recall his enthusiasm and generosity. He will be remembered not only for his wonderful persona, but also for his commitment to his work and his contribution to the media in the Mekong region.
He is survived by his wife, teacher Soumaly Keochanda, and three children – Southida, 14; Soudalat, seven; and Soupanya, who is two years old.
Mekong's Avian Flu
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What's New
Mekong ICT Camp 2010
The Mekong ICT Camp (http://mekongict.org), a biannual training workshop on information, communication, and technologies for citizen media, community health, and civil society practitioners in Mekong subregion, is accepting applications until Mar. 31, 2010. Participants are welcome from the Mekong countries, including Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
COMING SOON: 'TALKING GENDER IN THE MEKONG MEDIA'
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BANGKOK - Do media organisations in the Mekong Region think that gender sensitivity, including giving voices to women, is part of doing better stories? How do they define it within the context of their societies and how do they report on different genders and sexuality? Do they include the use of gender-friendly language in their stylebooks and training programmes? How much is using a gender lens a news habit?
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