The mentoring program SjCOOP (Science Journalism Cooperation) twins experienced science journalists (mentors) with early-career journalists (mentees). There will be three groups of mentees: a Vietnamese-speaking group, a Bahasa Indonesian-speaking group, and an English-speaking group.

The Vietnamese group will be led by Hoang Quoc Dung, Head of the Science-Education Section, at the Tien Phong (Vanguard) Daily and Executive Deputy President cum Secretary General of the Vietnam Forum of Environmental Journalists, Mr. Hoang Quoc Dung won the 2008 Reuters-International Union for the Conservation of Nature Media Awards for Excellence in Environmental Reporting for his story “Trans-border Wildlife Trade Network Unmasked”.

Mr. Harry Surjadi, former environment, science and technology reporter with Kompas Daily, will lead the Indonesian group. Mr. Harry Surjadi was also the founder and first executive director of the Society of Indonesian Environmental Journalists. He has worked as a reporter and editor covering agriculture, technology, and the environment for 20 years.

The English-speaking group will include journalists from several Asia countries, beginning with Cambodia, Myanmar, and The Philippines. It will be led directly by the World Federation project staff.

Each group will consist of 2 mentors and 8 to 10 journalists (mentees). The mentoring will be delivered in the language of the group, during 18 months of the two-year project, i.e. from July 2013 to December 2014. Every six month, participants will be invited to a five day face-to-face meeting between mentors and mentees, associated to field visits or scientific journalism conferences in Asia.

 

SjCOOP Asia is made possible thanks to funding from Canada’s International Development Research Centre and Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).

Source: http://www.wfsj.org/news/news.php?id=310

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Photo: “I hope this project will connect Asia to the activities of the World Federation”, said Ms. Yoon Kim, who will manage the project for the Federation.
 

 In Vietnam, SjCOOP will be implemented in close collaboration with the Vietnamese Journalists’ Association.
 

 

 

Science journalism is a very demanding specialized form of journalism. SjCOOP trains in all aspects of the profession, offering an opportunity for journalists to make a career in injecting reason and science in public debates.