We know it’s been a difficult year for journalists and journalism. All the more reason Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is pleased to have selected six organizations across the Asia-Pacific region that will work to advance reporting on critical environmental issues in 2021.
The selection followed the most competitive year for EJN’s Asia-Pacific Media Grants to date, with more than 105 applications received from 21 different countries.
The applications also were reflective of a year that has been dominated by reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic and its impacts, and several of the projects that were awarded grants will include a focus on the intersection between the coronavirus and environmental challenges.
For example, the Cambodian organization South Eastern Globe Communications will be taking advantage of a recent boom in domestic tourism – motivated by restrictions on foreign travel – to create a series of articles that will draw connections between Cambodian food and culture and people’s impact on the ecosystems that Cambodian communities rely on.
Another project in Indonesia will provide workshops for indigenous reporters in the remote Mentawai islands so they can more effectively cover local environmental issues, and in Bangladesh the organization NextBlue will help reporters produce community-driven documentaries about water and climate change.
Our six selected grantees are as follows:
- Antenna Foundation Nepal, Nepal
- Center for Investigative Reporting, Sri Lanka
- NextBlue, Bangladesh
- South Eastern Globe Communications Ltd., Cambodia
- Yayasan Citra Mandiri Mentawai, Indonesia
- Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines
This will be the last round of media grantees as a part of our four-year Asia-Pacific project, and we have high hopes for a strong end to what has proven highly impactful work.