IPPTAR/AIBD Regional Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction

The Regional Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction organised by the Tun Abdul Razak Broadcasting and Information Institute (IPPTAR) and AIBD was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 16 to 18 December 2013. The workshop brought 12 participants from broadcast organisations in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

The workshop aimed to help radio and television reporters to better understand the difference between disaster response and disaster risk reduction and to report on disasters from a different perspective. Participants were also invited to share their recent coverage about disasters and explore new ways on how to cover disasters from a DRR perspective. Aside from their own media examples, participants were also shown a case study on the second day by Ms. Darin Klong-ugkara, News Editor of Thai Public Broadcasting Service, of her coverage of the floods that occurred in Thailand in 2011.

Throughout the 3-day workshop, participants worked in three groups to create separate disaster risk reduction plans to be implemented within their own organisational contexts. The plans were designed to be holistic and practical, covering all stages of a disaster scenario, including before, during and after a disaster occurs, as well as on an ongoing basis.

The workshop was conducted by Dr. Michael McCluskey, independent media and broadcast consultant and former head of ABC Radio, Australia, who lent his considerable experience covering disaster situations to the project and guided the participants as they created their group plans.