Journalists and communication officers from various Pacific nations have convened in Palau this week for a Media Masterclass, coinciding with the Second Pacific Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Ministerial Meeting, set to commence tomorrow. This five-day masterclass is designed to boost collaboration among media professionals, scientists, and disaster management officials on pivotal issues related to climate, ocean health, and disaster risk management in the region.
H.E. Toby Sharpe, the Australian Ambassador to Palau, officiated at the event’s opening, underscoring the critical role of communicators in shaping the Pacific’s response to the escalating challenges posed by climate change and natural disasters. “Each one of you plays a vital role in shaping how the region understands and responds to these challenges,” Ambassador Sharpe noted, emphasizing that the masterclass serves as a strategic investment in enhancing regional resilience.
Organized by the Pacific Community (SPC) through its Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac), the training focuses on cultivating robust partnerships between media practitioners and technical agencies such as National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs) and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). Rhonda Robinson, Director of SPC’s Geoscience, Energy and Maritime (GEM) Division, remarked that this initiative will empower journalists and communicators to refine their reporting on complex scientific and disaster-related topics while supporting coverage of the upcoming DRM Ministerial Meeting.
Leilani Raklai, a representative from the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), encouraged participants to leverage their storytelling skills to make scientific and disaster information relatable for local communities. “Our job as Pacific journalists is to tell stories that help people understand what’s happening around us, especially during disasters,” she asserted.
This event builds on the success of previous SPC-led collaborations, such as the 2019 UN Decade of Ocean Science Media Masterclass in New Caledonia and the 2023 Pacific Ocean Science Conference in Fiji, which enhanced connections between journalists and Pacific scientists, highlighting the importance of incorporating youth and indigenous perspectives in regional science reporting.
By fostering increased collaboration and understanding, the masterclass offers a hopeful projection for a well-informed and responsive approach to pressing climate and disaster issues facing Pacific communities. The commitment shown through training initiatives like this showcases a proactive stance towards building a resilient future amidst the challenges posed by climate change.