Collaborative Journalism a way towards Sustainable Journalism
By M. Antoinette Jerom, December 2, 2021
Dr. Peter Monthienvichienchai of LiCAS News, Thailand, and Augustine Anthuvan formerly of Mediacorp, Singapore, shared their extensive experiences during the second panel discussion of the SIGNIS Asia Journalism Desk’s webinar, Journalism in a Fragmented World. The session was dedicated to discussion of the ‘Global Village Newsroom,’ focussing mainly on opportunities, challenges, and efficacy of cross-border collaboration.
The secret of success for effective collaboration, said Monthienvichienchai, hinges on four key ingredients: a common editorial mission, common themes, networking, and trust. Both speakers agreed that Trust is the cornerstone. While Monthienvichienchai mentioned that self-knowledge is the first step towards collaboration, “You need to know who you are. If people want to collaborate with you, they need to know who you are”; Anthuvan put planning before success.
“One must set aside ego to collaborate with another,” he said. “Clashing of ideas is inevitable. Your problems will not be solved overnight, nor will your job be made easier. But in the long run it will be sustainable and the benefits you can reap from a collaborative effort outweigh the pain you endure.”
Cooperation is the first step towards collaboration. Monthienvichienchai distinguished between the two concepts: “Collaboration takes a lot more working together. A lot more synchronizing. A lot more empathy. A lot more understanding. Cooperation maybe a baby step towards collaboration.” Mutual trust between journalists, editors and publishers facilitates smooth cooperation, he added. “Collaboration is a journey you develop in a spectrum.”
But the moment you realize that your efforts are not helping to tell the story you intended to, and because of this the people are being short-changed, that is when your collaborative efforts are leading towards failure. Both speakers unanimously agreed about embracing social media strategies, technologies, and tools to engage in a wider readership. Working smart is as important as working hard. People should be inspired and influenced to share the stories they read and engage with the content instead of limiting themselves to reading them.
To a question about verifying the sources of collaborative work, Monthienvichienchai stated that a trustworthy and committed journalist qualifies for the job. Armchair journalism is not welcome. “If I have to fact-check your work, you shouldn’t be a journalist!” exclaimed Anthuvan. To combat misinformation and disinformation the journalist should be capable of producing the relevant evidence and ensure the data collection is accurate and validated. A disciplined journalist is an asset. Everybody should learn to abide by the ethics and principles of journalism and be professional in their conduct.
Other articles published on the session:
https://www.signisasia.net/vocation-of-a-catholic-journalist/
https://www.signisasia.net/cross-border-journalists-collaboration-and-technology-can-fix-the-world/
SIGNIS Asia Journalism Desk and LICAS News Asia are the organisers of the SIGNIS Asia Journalism Fellowship Programme on the theme “Journalism in a Fragmented World,” a seven-week programme for lay Catholic and like-minded journalists working in the secular media. Offered virtually, the seven-week webinar brings together 25 selected participants from 14 countries to build capacity and promote exchange among media professionals and journalists who want to use their platform for social change. Programme details: https://www.signisasia.net/journalism-in-a-fragmented-world-webinar-2021/