Visit of the Students of Social Communication Section to Some Media in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh. The students of the social communication section of Don Bosco Sihanoukville visited three medias of communication in the capital yesterday. The Cambodian Daily, the Open Institution and the Globe Magazine, welcomed the eleven students of the newest section of the Salesian school of Sihanoukville. "It is a part of their studies to know how professional journalists and social communication agents work in their country", said Fr. Albeiro Rodas, the coordinator of the program. The section was opened at the beginning of the new academic year with a curriculum that includes journalism, television, radio, design, web master, events organization and social work. As the other technical sections, the students must do a level for two years in order to get a skill and be able to get a job. “Knowing the Cambodian Mass Media, the youth can see as many as possibilities they can for a future area of work. The contact with persons who are on the field is the best way to motivate the youth and give them inspiration", continues Fr. Rodas, "In these kind of visits they can ask questions, listen experiences from first sources and dream with their own future as journalists or social communication agents. On the other hand, the Cambodian Mass Media can know that we are doing this experience of communication in Sihanoukville and that these boys can become a part of their professional staff in the future. They can help to create the journalists and social communication agents that Cambodian needs for its development."

The Cambodian Daily

The boys with Kevin Doyle, Editor in Chief of The Cambodian Daily.

The Cambodian Daily is a Cambodian English newspaper and one of the most popular of the country within the English speaking circles in the country and outside for those interested in Cambodia. The journal was created to register information from around the world for Cambodia and it is published for those who read in English and foreigners. It is said in its presentation:

 

“The Cambodia Daily is an independent non-profit newspaper published six days a week in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, to establish a foundation for a free press in Cambodia and to train its journalists. ”

Kevin Doyle, Editor-in-Chief, who did work with Don Bosco Cambodia before he studied journalism in Dublin, expended more than one hour with the boys talking about journalism and how is the work in the publication of The Cambodian Daily. Doyle said to the boys that the journal was created because some years ago information from abroad was rare in Cambodia. "At that time - about the 1990's - Cambodians did know very little what was going on outside their country", he said. Then, this newspaper is focused in international news for Cambodians who can read English and we have also a section in Khmer. There is also a Weekly with Cambodian news for subscribers outside the country and it is very popular too."

The students asked many questions such as why the newspaper has so few pictures, how a journalist gets his news, what would happen if a journalist is sue by a court because his information was false and why did you become a journalist. Kevin Doyle said that the most important in a newspaper is the text, the news itself, rather than pictures, that would be better for a magazine. Anyway, other reason is to make the newspaper cheaper and it has also a small format. A newspaper with many pictures could be more expensive. The format (21x30 cms) is also made to facilitate its reading and distribution. "For example, during the battles in Phnom Penh, 1997, we could not send the newspaper to be printed outside, so in that time we had to make photocopies of it here, in our same office. If the format were bigger, things could be more difficult at that time", he said.

"As a journalist you have to be always ready to the information. We work with stories and so when you go anywhere you have to be alert of what happens outside. Everything can be a good story. Be honest, trustful and accurate." About the risks of journalism Kevin Doyle said: "Journalism has its risks as any other job. You can be sue many times, but do not be afraid. Sometimes you are sued by someone who just wanted you stop to inform about a subject that they dislike or are not interested in. You have to be honest all the time. There are many good journalists and there are many bad ones. You make your name if what you say is always correct. Until now, no journalist of The Cambodian Daily has gone yet to a court. It is normal we have to correct information. Even if you try to be accurate, and we do, sometimes mistakes come in the publications, so we have a small section for corrections." Kevin Doyle showed to the students the office of the journal and they boys had the opportunity to talk to the different journalists that at the moment (11:00) were working in the next edition. They asked many questions in Khmer and in English to the amazed journalists who were rather used to do questions. At the end, the professionals join in group with the students for a picture.

Open Institution, Open Source for Cambodians

The boys in the operational center of Open Institution with the editor of The Mirror.

The second organization to be visited was Open Institution. In this opportunity the boys got the instructions entirely in Khmer language, since the goal of this organization is making to Cambodians easy access to media, Internet, education and computers in their own language. The students were welcomed by Javier Solá, the Co-Director of Khmer Software Initiative who introduced to the boys the different programs of this institution that works promoting the free software for Cambodians in schools and other institutions. In this opportunity the subjects went to those who are behind the creation of Websites and computer programming in Khmer language. E-Learning, for example, was presented as a way to arrive to communities far from the city so they can study in their own villages and farms.

The campaign to use Khmer fonts by the Cambodian computers with the development of the Khmer OS Font. As a part of their service to the Cambodian community, Open Institution leads seminars in the educational institutions, especially for teachers and instructors. The students got a donation from the Institution of two volumes of instructions in the use of Khmer Free Software and the CDs to install the Khmer Os, something that is going to be implemented in our Don Bosco Sihanoukville as soon as possible. The students of social communication must be experts in the Software that will become for their country the most important. The students were invited to create their own blogs, something that became very popular and that would be a great space of practice for youth who are learning journalism and social communication skills.

Globe Magazine

The boys with Tassilo Brinzer, Editor in Chief of Globe.

The last visit was to Globe Magazine, the Cambodian English Magazine. The boys were welcome by Tassilo Brinzer, the Editor in Chief, Paul Brisny, the Text Editor and Arne Deepen, the Executive Editor. Tassilo Brinzer talked to the boys about the Magazine and the differences with a newspaper. Naturally, the boys were concern about the differences between a newspaper and magazine and their questions were why so many pictures, why so expensive (US$4) and how you get information. Brinzer explained to the boys that the magazine is published every month, while a newspaper is published everyday: as the newspaper has a cost of about Riel 1,200 (30 cents), you just count how much it would be in a month if you buy the newspaper everyday, therefore, you would pay even more than US$4. Evermore, you can not compare a newspaper with a magazine, because both of them have their own identity and goal and both of them are important.

The newspaper is published to be read today. Nobody buys a yesterday's newspaper, while the articles of the magazine can be read at any moment. For example, you can read the November magazine in December or January and the information should be the same interesting. Brinzer said that there is more time to develop the stories in the magazine. You have to read also the newspapers and so some of the stories of the newspaper can give clues of what could be interesting for the magazine, so the magazine can make a deeper study of the story, while the story in a newspaper must be reduced in what, where and when. The magazine can answer things like why and how. Globe Magazine puts more attention to photography and the boys asked how Globe gets them. Brinzer said that many of the pictures are bought from journalists or taken from sites for journalism and he showed to the boys the computer programs they use to edit and give quality to the pictures, as the plan of every edition. The magazine is intended to be international and for this reason there are articles about other countries, and not only Cambodia. The activity finished and the boys were very motivated about the area they are doing thanks to the welcoming invitation of the journalists and communicators of these three great institutions.

References

 

• The Cambodian Daily.
• Open Institution.
• Khmer Os Software Initiative.
• The Mirror.
• Globe Magazine.
• See the pictures of the visits in our Flickr.

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