UNESCO Assesses Readiness of Journalism Education in Cambodia for Digital Age

Digital technologies and the raise of internet platforms, like Google, Facebook and Twitter, have changed the way Cambodian’s consume news and information. In the age of information overload, disinformation and micro-targeted propaganda, media professionals need to adapt to ensure that citizens are provided with professional, truthful, and verified information and news reports.

According to a UNESCO’s press release issued this afternoon, to assess the readiness of journalism education in Cambodia for the digital age, UNESCO has initiated a review of existing training programmes and curriculums and an assessment of the capacity of institutions and organisations that provide journalism training.

Through this research, UNESCO will establish benchmarks, identify the gaps of current Journalism education programmes, and build on their strengths which will lead to the development of a plan to provide targeted capacity building and technical assistance to media training providers to update their curriculums and enhanced their capacities to deliver quality journalism adapted to the fast-evolving media landscape.  With a focus on higher education institutions providing media studies, the research will also assess capacity building programmes provided by journalists’ organisations, media houses and international actors.

To conduct this comprehensive assessment, UNESCO is partnering with the Centre for Advancing Journalism, which is part of the University of Melbourne, ranked the number one University in Australia.  This partnership will bring in the Centre’s unique approach, which places journalism in wider social contexts to build craft skills alongside an appreciation of the theory and ethical and legal dilemmas inherent in the practice of journalism. UNESCO’s Model Curricula for Journalism Education, and UNESCO’s handbook on “Journalism, Fake News and Disinformation” which outline the international standards on Journalism training, will serve as the framework for the assessment.

UNESCO’s support for journalism education is underpinned by a strong conviction that professional journalistic standards are essential to bring out the potential of media systems to foster democracy, dialogue and development. Professional news media acts as a guardian of public interest. It is an important component of the checks and balances that form part of a democracy. By disseminating trusted information to citizens, the news media enables citizen participation in development and strengthens accountability feedback mechanisms. Citizens cannot exercise and enjoy their citizenship in the absence of crucial information and knowledge, which well-trained journalists are better placed to provide.

This activity is part of UNESCO’s work in Cambodia to promote and strengthen media development and Freedom of Expression, which is being implemented in collaboration with national stakeholders, OHCHR and the financial support of the Swedish International Development Agency.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press