Photo by Tim Large
As the traumatised flood survivor recounted a tale of destruction and loss, wiping away tears with a scarf, a journalist recorded her story using a discreet mobile phone, letting the words and pictures speak for themselves.
The result? A compelling video report capturing the drama and emotion of a disaster zone.
It looked convincing - but in fact this was an exercise. The reporter was one of 15 Southeast Asian journalists who took part in a disaster reporting workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam in June. The fictional flood survivor was a Thomson Reuters Foundation instructor, sobbing in the corridors of the workshop venue, the Vietnam Television (VTV) Training Centre.
Thanks to support from Nokia and Vodafone, the workshop explored ways in which reporters can use cutting-edge mobile phones to produce text, photo and video reports from the scene of humanitarian disasters.
For a week, the journalists were living and working in the fictional land of Arkadia, the most disaster-prone country in the world. Earthquakes, floods, drought, a rebel insurgency and a potential flu pandemic – Arkadia had it all.
Course instructors Tim Large and Ros Russell ran practical exercises including simulated press conferences with Arkadian officials, interviews with disaster survivors and an explosion (mock, of course) at a five star hotel - all with the aim of developing reporting skills and improving understanding of humanitarian emergencies.
Drumming home the key message of the course, Tim Large told the journalists: "If you remember one thing from this week, it should be this: stay safe. No story is worth a life."
Working alone and in teams, the journalists - from Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Laos - were asked to prioritise information to produce fast, accurate and compelling multi-media stories, often with the help of mobile technology that could allow a reporter to get straight to the scene of a disaster without waiting for other equipment.
Guest speakers gave the participants greater insight into the practicalities of reporting crises.
Andy McElroy of the International Federation of the Red Cross discussed his experience of dealing with journalists in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008. Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen of Oxfam in Vietnam shared ideas about the resources available to reporters during a crisis, and Marten Mylius of Care International led a discussion on how to make the sometimes dry topic of disaster risk reduction newsworthy.
"The course gave us insight and knowledge to cover disasters and how to cover crises without making people panic," said Myanmar journalist Sann Oo, also the lead writer for the fictional Mekong Press agency - winner of the week's "grand prize" for its teamwork and initiative.
”I will apply what I've learned in my future work, and share my knowledge with colleagues."
The multi-media team from the Reuters bureau in Hanoi supported the course, spending several hours talking to participants and answering questions.
Veteran TV producer and cameraman Nguyen Van Vinh and photographer Nguyen Huy Kham shared their experiences of covering typhoons and floods in Vietnam, as well as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Apart from the fascinating footage, the video journalists on the course really appreciated Vinh’s and Kham's practical tips for keeping cameras and laptops dry with the help of plastic bags!
Vietnam Bureau Chief John Ruwitch offered an interesting insight into what it was like to cover last year's Sichuan earthquake in China, emphasising the importance of communication and teamwork when covering a fast-moving story.
The workshop was structured into daily themes, such as logistics and safety, conflict and trauma, climate change and health emergencies.
Each topic raised ethical issues. For example, is it okay for an aid agency to pay for a journalist's transport and hotel bills? How far should a reporter question someone suffering from trauma? Can a journalist pay a "disaster survivor" for a story? How do you cover a pandemic without putting your own health at risk?
<i>The "Reporting Disasters and Crises" workshop was held at the VTV Training Centre, Hanoi, 22-26 June, 2009.</i>