A group of Indonesian journalists drawn from across the archipelago learned how to factor sustainability into economic news reporting and analysis at a recent APJC program in Melbourne.
The 10 journalists, from Aceh, Jambi, Riau, Jakarta, West Kalimantan and Papua, were taking part in a 5-week Australia Awards fellowship, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The fellowship program included seminars and workshops on leadership and reporting strategies, and visits to Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, the Latrobe Valley and Ballarat for discussions with government representatives, business journalists and experts on economic and environmental issues relevant to Australia and Indonesia.
Topics included renewable energy, urban and regional planning, international forest management, water management and policy-making.
In Canberra, fellows met with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Julie Bishop at the launch of Australia’s New Colombo Plan (see photo above).
Bayu Maitra, an editor at Reader’s Digest Indonesia, said he looked forward to using ideas from the program in his newsroom. “The activities provided a lot of insights and techniques,” he said.
Jakarta-based senior editor Naomi Jayalaksana said the digital journalism sessions gave her fresh ideas to use at Femina magazine.
“I also learned about media analysis, which will help me to better present media content to my readers and better meet their needs,” she said.
Bali-based correspondent for Tempo magazine, Ketut Efrata, said she particularly valued the leadership workshops – learning how to “build better teamwork, make good communication, and the importance of being assertive”.
The program, which ended on 12 September 2014, also included professional attachments with Australian news organisations.
Participants were: