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A training on “The Role of Media in Promoting Social Accountability” was organized by CCIM last February 6, 2009 at its office in Phnom Penh. Around 20 Cambodian journalists from print and radio institutions mostly coming from the nearby provinces, Kandal and Kampong Speu, joined the one-day training.

Using a simultaneous translation the participants expressed their appreciation of having invited in the training and they recommended for longer training period for them to learn more new ideas and techniques in media reporting particularly those involving accountability issues.

The training focused on two major topics – role of media in development and citizen journalism.  The trainer advised the participants on the following points:

1. Constantly publish or air stories about shortcomings of government and local and national officials
2. Do not stop at just the basic story. Go deeper. Investigate.
3. Analyze. Look at the big picture.
4. Be professional.
5. Police yourself. Guards of the guardians.
6. Fight for access to information.

She further suggested that journalists need to identify the best of “what is” to pursue dreams and the possibilities of “what could be.” Or conversely, the worst of “what is” that leads to “what should not be.” Media has played a role in bringing about change and remains a powerful force. The journalists are watchdogs and a source of information. And therefore “must involve the community in our work to bring out the truth and influence action.”

On citizen journalism, she explained that it has many layers and it’s not one simple concept that can be applied universally by all news organizations. It is much complex and with many variations. One of the concepts is opening up to public comment where individuals may write letters to the editor, feedback mechanism, correction boxes, phone patch with public, and opening up communication lines.

Another concept is the participatory reporting. She explained this that the public can actively report what is happening in their community, or a customer making complaints, or publishing their inputs.

It can be a “stand-alone space” for citizen journalists, the trainer added, such as the “I Report” or “Citizen Call” used by TV or radio stations.

There is also the “hybrid pro-citizen journalists,” which is a pool of experts, on call–academe, religious, NGO workers, local leaders, students, special interest groups that provide ideas and inputs but through the professional journalists, the trainer added. And finally, she said that citizen journalism may eventually becomes part of mainstream in which articles contributed by citizen journalists are printed side by side or aired as part of the radio program. In this way they become part of content creation.

“It's this vision of citizen journalism complementing and adding to professional journalism that is so compelling – at least in theory. Few news organizations have the staff manpower to cover everything that their readers are interested in, but by tapping the volunteer (or cheap) resources of the citizenry, a news organization can potentially provide coverage down to the Little League team and church-group level, as well as offer better and more diverse coverage of larger issues by bringing in more voices and perspectives,” she said.

The differences between a journalist and a citizen journalist, the trainer explained, are: professional journalist is paid to do the reporting; has higher level of credibility because of accuracy; bound by editorial rules of the media organization; has higher access to major source of information; and can be better understood.

And finally, she said that all these point to an undeniable fact: Some members of the audience, the information consumers, are becoming proactive rather than just passively viewing or reading a particular medium and accepting what they read and hear as gospel truth.  The audience is participating in content creation.

After the training, it has been monitored that some of the participants have reported cases and incidents with reporting related to social accountability of Phnom Penh authorities and Takeo provincial authorities. The reports were made by the radio reporters of FM 102 (a radio station operated by Women Media Center and a radio reporter of Radio VOD (Voice of Democracy of CCIM) at Radio Sarika FM 106.5, respectively.