Collaboration to the ends of the Earth
By Annabelle Liang, December 6, 2021
Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Thailand in 2019 left Dr Peter Monthienvichienchai with much perspective. That was when the newly-founded LiCAS News was selected as the visit’s official English media provider.
Monthienvichienchai, its Executive Director and Founding Member, found himself collaborating with various media outlets and the Catholic Social Communications of Thailand.
“Fr Joseph Anucha, a prominent member and leader of SIGNIS, made it possible for us to gain access to various venues, made it possible for us to stick our 360-degree video camera on the lead car of the papal motorcade,” Monthienvichienchai said.
“We were right where no other media had been before, and it was humbling and enabling at the same time. From that moment, it was clear that yes, I could spend the next ten years trying to grow LiCAS News, but there is a far better alternative and that’s building a Catholic media network for collaboration,” he shared, at a recent webinar for journalism fellows organised by the SIGNIS Asia Journalism Desk, on the theme Journalism in a Fragmented World.
Monthienvichienchai had established the news outlet under the umbrella of the Catholic Communications Office of the Archdiocese of Bangkok. It has an unashamedly Catholic focus when highlighting the plight of those on the fringe in Asian societies. It also details how the Church is trying to help.
Monthienvichienchai realised that the Pope was putting the spotlight on universal issues during the visit, which would even interest non-Catholics. So, he challenged staff to get their stories out to many, via social media. At that time, the outlet was seeing 100,000 social media engagements at best.
LiCAS News outperformed. It had 2.7 million organic social media engagements in its first year of operations.
Despite the outlet’s flourishing readership today, Monthienvichienchai still believes in the power of collaboration.
“We were very lucky to have a very active, very engaged global community, especially on social media. So whenever we see a story that really would have an international resonance, even though it is written for a local audience, we republish it on our platform and we edit it slightly for international context,” he said.
“On that visit, it was clear that it’s not LiCAS News that needed to grow. It’s Catholic media, it’s all media who are trying to highlight the same plights.”
In the spirit of collaboration, Monthienvichienchai also announced a scholarship for the SIGNIS LiCAS News journalism fellowship training programme.
He urged SIGNIS fellows to utilise their knowledge from the webinars, and co-author articles with a fellow from another country. Articles should focus on the Church’s efforts to alleviate the struggles of people on the fringe. A stipend of US$1,500 will fund ten articles.
“Yes we are media, yes we have ‘hardcore’ journalists working for us. But every day, the reason why we’re here is to spread the good news,” Monthienvichienchai stressed.
Other articles published on the session:
https://www.signisasia.net/collaborative-journalism-a-way-towards-sustainable-journalism/
https://www.signisasia.net/cross-border-journalists-collaboration-and-technology-can-fix-the-world/
https://www.signisasia.net/vocation-of-a-catholic-journalist/
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/