A team combining new and experienced Pacific journalists will provide coverage of Rio+20, thanks to a collaboration between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS).
11 June 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), supported by the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), announced a “new approach” to providing news from the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), which aims to help develop the skills of young Pacific islanders interested in journalism.
In addition to print and video coverage provided by two senior reporters from the Pacific, two young Pacific islanders – as young as 14 years old – will offer different perspectives on the news. The team will also produce a documentary on Rio+20.
Nanette Woonton, SPREP Media and Public Relations Officer, explained that the new approach seeks to “connect Pacific communities with what happens at this meeting, giving our Pacific youth a voice to share with all, along with our regular news items.”
PACMAS has provided guidance for SPREP with the Rio+20 media team in terms of selection, outcomes required and financial support, with both institutions working together to build the capacity of Pacific media to report on environmental issues. [SPREP Press Release]