WKU News & Events

February 05, 2002

Western's Public Radio Staff To
Conduct Journalism Training In Indonesia

Bowling Green, Ky. - Two members of the Public Broadcasting staff at Western Kentucky University are headed to Indonesia to help promote democracy in the world.

It's all part of the first follow-up training for the International Journalism and Media Management Training Program, based at Western. The program promotes democracy through enhanced journalism training for reporters and news managers. The program is funded by a $2 million appropriation secured by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Jerry Barnaby, director of Public Broadcasting, and Kevin Willis, radio news reporter, will lead the training in Jakarta, starting Feb. 18. The follow-up consists of a five-day session in Jakarta and four two-day residencies in other Indonesian cities. The training is the culmination of a three-part series with Indonesian radio journalists and media managers.

The first week in Jakarta, Barnaby and Willis will work with 10 radio journalists who attended the first training session in Bowling Green in August 2001, along with 10 other Indonesian radio journalists. The intense five-day session will explore differences among journalists in emerging democracies and those in the United States. Other topics for discussion include Indonesian media law, radio vs. other media, and the "sensationalization" of news.

During the second week, Barnaby and Willis will travel to other cities for two-day residencies at radio stations with program producers. Willis will travel to Bali and Mataram, while Barnaby will travel to Bandung. The visits will involve media organizations that sent journalists and managers to the Bowling Green sessions in the summer and fall of 2001.

In March, the program continues back in Bowling Green with radio managers from Cambodia.

The project is a collaboration between Western's Public Broadcasting and Internews® Network. Internews® is an international non-profit organization that supports open media worldwide and is responsible for training more than 16,000 journalists in emerging democracies in the past decade.

For more information, contact Jerry Barnaby, 1-800-599-2424, or email jerry.barnaby@wku.edu.