GIJN Boosts Broadcast Journalists in Thailand
Training in Thailand: SVT’s Nils Hanson and friends at the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association.
GIJN lent a hand to the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association last month, helping train 60 journalists in the fine art of muckraking in Thailand.
The four-day investigative reporting workshop was led by Nils Hanson, editor-in-chief of Sweden’s most successful investigative TV program, Uppdrag Granskning (Mission Investigate), at public broadcaster Swedish Television (SVT). He has 40 years of experience in the field, starting his career at age 16 as a “dispatch boy.” He regularly teaches investigative methods at conferences in Sweden and abroad and has authored a book on the subject. A veteran presenter at GIJN conferences, Hanson traveled halfway around the world at GIJN’s request to work with our Thai colleagues, who were brought together by the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association’s Manager and Editor Niramol Prasansuk.
The session — “Investigative TV Journalists Training and Workshop” — was held February 11 to 14, and was packed with television reporters, producers, and camera people.
Hanson spoke on such issues as how to generate investigative ideas, search and cultivate sources, gather evidence, and “bulletproof” a story. There was also time to address ethical aspects: Is it okay to pay money for information? Can a lie be justified in order to get evidence? What to do if a victim suddenly drops out just before deadline?
Despite military rule and tough times for the media in Thailand, the Thai broadcasters were eager participants.
“The ending workshop was quite amazing,” Hanson says. “They worked with an intensity that was really impressive, developing story ideas they had generated the first day. They had to give their stories a title, form a hypothesis (or two), and set minimum and maximum goals. After that they focused on how to make a great story out of it, following the classic storytelling structure, from prelude through point of no return, climax and denouement.”
“I believe some of these stories will be published!”
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
Republish this article
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Read Next
Data Journalism News & Analysis
Lessons Learned: 10 Common Mistakes in Data Journalism
GIJN asked speakers and attendees in the NICAR conference hallways for the data journalism gaps they see, and for under-covered topic areas and under-used skills that newsrooms can address.
Reporting Tools & Tips Teaching & Training
Best Practices for Election Coverage Using YouTube
At the recent International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ), one workshop offered suggestions on how journalists and media outlets can better use YouTube in their election coverage.
Getting the Story Out Press Freedom
How Alexey Navalny Was Inspired by — and Inspired — Investigative Journalism in Russia
Anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny proved that anyone, after investigative training and practice, can expose rights abuse at the highest levels of government.
Data Journalism News & Analysis
From Space to Story in Data Journalism
Over the past 10 years satellite imagery has become an important component of data journalism. In the next 10, it will likely evolve further, from a tool used primarily for illustrating stories to an integral part of research and investigative reporting.