The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) of Indonesia and the Arafura & Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Phase II (ATSEA-2) Project announced 21 outstanding candidates to join journalist training on Sustainable Management of Marine & Coastal Ecosystems in the Arafura Sea & Timor Seas Region. Here are the lists of the selected participants.
Indonesia:
- Sakinah Fitrianti B (Harian Fajar)
- Apolonia Ineru Bahali (Sea Today)
- Ainur Rohmah (Asia Sentinel)
- Saiful Umam (Sorong News)
- Maratun Nashihah ( Suara Merdeka)
- Suci Sekarwati (Tempo)
- Abdus Somad (Jaring.id)
- Palce Amalo (Media Indonesia)
- Felix Nathaniel (Tirto.id)
- Malika (KBR)
Timor-Leste:
• Evangelisto Gantry dos Santos Meilana (News VIP TV)
• David Da Costa Gusmão (Neon Metin)
• Cidalia Antoninha Fátima da Conceição (TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste)
• Juniyanti Sara da Fonseca (Radio e Televisão de Timor-Leste)
• Cristiana Ximenes Belo (Radio Rakambia)
• Filomeno Martins (TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste)
Papua New Guinea:
• Jina Amba (Office of Climate Change & Development Authority)
• Rebecca Negere (Wantok Niuspepa & Tatis Journal)
• Lucy Kopana (National Broadcasting Corporation)
• Clifford Faik (Sunday Bulletin)
• Antoinette Poivi (TVWAN)
The ATS region is severely declining due to overharvesting, climate change, Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing and marine-based pollution. Building trust and communication with stakeholders in the ATS region is vital to raise awareness of the issues and to accelerate the integration of sustainable fishery into policy. In the implementation, media is a powerful instrument to shape stakeholders’ attitudes by transmitting messages in an accessible and culturally appropriate form, eventually leads to a prompt action locally.
To enhance journalists’ understanding of marine-related issues, the training will cover various topics such as coastal ecosystems, marine biodiversity and climate change. They will be required to complete the modules prepared by a team of trainers from the ATS region and submit a proposal after completing the training. The 12 best proposals will be provided coverage to produce journalistic works at the ATSEA-2 Project sites in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea.
During the training, participants will take a closer look at the ecological importance, governance and priority issues, sustainable fisheries, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for Blue Economy, and gender equity to mitigate climate impacts in the ATS Region. A sharing session will also be delivered by senior journalists from ABC Australia.
A journalist team from AJI will lead the training sessions. The training will be held virtually from 2-4 August 2022. More activities will be continued after the selection of proposals, including a further mentoring and site visits to the ATSEA-2 Project sites.