Programs & Events
Recognizing Excellence in Reporting on the ECCC
Himawari Hotel, Phnom Penh
December 20, 2007
Five Cambodian journalists were recognized for outstanding reporting on the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). Each of the award winners had participated in a training program organized by Internews entitled "Covering the Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Helping Cambodia's Media Meet the Challenge." The program was funded by a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State. The Embassy’s Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Gregory F. Lawless, participated in the ceremony, which also saw 14 journalists receive certificates for their participation in the program.
The effectiveness of the ECCC, informally known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (KRT), hinges in part on the public and the media’s ability to understand and participate in the process. In order to help ensure that the Cambodian media and the public have access to relevant and useful information on the ECCC, Internews fielded expert journalism advisors with experience in justice reporting to conduct a series of intensive trainings on tribunal coverage for Cambodian print, radio, and TV journalists. Participants had access to ongoing mentoring, small grants, and the digital audio recording equipment, digital sound editing facilities, and internet access at the Internews office. More than 160 Cambodian journalists, from Phnom Penh and the provinces, took part in the program.
In his remarks, Greg Lawless said, "It was our hope that providing this training program to local media would have a dramatic effect on the degree to which Cambodians become and remain informed about the ECCC. By all accounts the program has been a success. Stories about the Khmer Rouge Tribunal that I have seen in the press written by journalists in this room have been timely, relevant and have resonated with the Cambodian population in ways that will finally allow for the process of healing to begin."
A panel of six judges evaluated more than 45 stories on the ECCC that had been published or broadcast by workshop participants. The winners were:
1st Place – Khut Sophak Chakrya, Radio FM 93.5
2nd Place - Meas Sokchea, Economics Today
3rd Place - Chheang Bopha, Radio France Internationale
Award of Excellence - Nob Vy, Radio FM 90
Award of Excellence - Bun Khy, Rasmei Kampuchea
The ECCC is expected to serve as a model for Cambodia’s judicial system and transform the ways in which court proceedings take place. Thus, even after the trials, the knowledge and skills that the journalists gained from this training will enhance their ability to produce quality, in-depth reporting on the Cambodian judiciary and the legal sector.
Internews is an international non-profit organization that works to promote democracy, tolerance and understanding by fostering independent media and promoting open communications policies. In 2002, Internews developed a journalism training curriculum for reporting on the international tribunal process in East Timor. In addition, Internews provided near-daily print news coverage of the war crimes tribunal for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. From 1996-98, Internews provided regular television news coverage of the war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which was broadcast in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
