Western’s Public Radio Hosts Cambodian Radio Journalists

April 29, 2002

Bowling Green, Ky. – Western’s Public Radio continues to promote democracy worldwide by hosting twelve Cambodian radio journalists for a three-week training session. The International Journalism and Media Management Training Program at Western Kentucky University provides media professionals from around the world the opportunity to work with experts in radio journalism. The Cambodian radio journalism session starts May 11 and ends on May 31. An Opening Reception takes place on Saturday, May 11, at 4 pm in Academic Complex 213 on Westerns’ campus.

The three-week journalism program is structured on a revolving lecture-practice-performance model. Western Kentucky University faculty and staff teach on a wide range of topics including: Ethics, Fairness, Balance and Objectivity; Sourcing; Broadcast News Writing and Reporting; Features and Feature Writing; Defining News Relevance; Creating a News Cycle; Radio News Formats; and Newsroom Management

Seminars in the first week of the program prepare trainees for the second and third weeks, when they apply their knowledge as they create and broadcast programs in their native language (Khmer).

WWHR, the student radio station at WKU, has a central role in the International program. Because of the summer hiatus at WKU, the International program will have exclusive access to the radio station as a dedicated radio “lab.” This will allow participants to work on original programs for broadcast over the station’s signal. The Cambodians immediately apply the knowledge they acquire in the first week of lectures, and instructors assess how much and how well the information was assimilated.

Individualized instruction is emphasized. Faculty from Western’s School of Journalism and Broadcasting and Western’s Public Radio staff supervise and guide the participants in the day-to-day operations of a radio station. Participants rotate through the various newsroom roles, including news director, editor, news writer, reporter and anchor. They use field equipment for assignments outside of the newsroom. Their work culminates in feature programs that will be broadcast locally, and then taken home for broadcast on their local stations. Access to the airwaves of WWHR will give participants the unique opportunity for hands-on experience in producing a radio news program.

The multi-year project is a collaboration between Western Kentucky University’s Public Broadcasting and Internews® Network, an international non-profit organization that supports open media worldwide and is responsible for training thousands of journalists in emerging democracies in the past decade. WKU faculty, staff and students are involved in every aspect of the project.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) recognized the collaborative possibilities of Western and Internews and was instrumental in bringing the partners together and in securing the initial funding for the creation of this program. The current program is funded by a $2,000,000 grant administered through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

For more information, contact Jerry Barnaby, 1-800-599-2424, or visit the web site: www.wkyu.org.

-WKU-
WKU News & Events
Division of Public Affairs
Western Kentucky University
1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576
Phone: (270) 745-4295 ~ Fax: (270) 745-5387 ~ E-Mail: western@wku.edu