Radio and TV producers from Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea wrapped up a weeklong workshop in Kuala Lumpur this week, vowing to boost climate change and disaster reporting in their programs.
The workshop ended with a powerful reminder that disaster planning must start at home—inside media organizations themselves.
“Media houses often don’t think about their own preparedness,” said Professor Suraya Parkash, Head of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) and Cyber Disaster Risk Management Division at India’s National Institute of Disaster Management. “No one is prepared until everyone is prepared.”
He led a hands-on session showing participants how to identify hazards, risks, vulnerabilities, and capacities in their own workplaces. His message was clear: training and drills are essential.
“If you don’t sweat enough during preparation, you will be sweating heavily during a war,” he told the group.
The session struck a chord with participants. Timothy Makikon, a radio producer from VBTC in Vanuatu, recalled the devastating 17 December 2024 disaster in Port Vila that killed at least 14 people.
“I’ve always taken things for granted, but now I see why my superiors insisted on safety,” he said. “Disasters can start from your office or home. You need to make sure your colleagues and families are safe before running out to cover a story.”
From Papua New Guinea, Anna Klawe, Director of NBC Provincial Radio in East Sepik, admitted the lessons were eye-opening.
“I haven’t experienced a major disaster yet, but this week showed me disaster isn’t only what journalists report on. It can easily happen in our own workplace.”
She was joined by fellow NBC colleagues: Lesly Kili, Director of Provincial Radio (Enga Province), Lydia Jennifer Moia, Executive Producer of National Radio in Port Moresby, and Solomon Sumb, a young online reporter. From Vanuatu, participants included Makikon and Stevenson Liu, Head of Content at VBTC.
All six participants expressed their gratitude to the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and UNESCO for the opportunity.
Professor Suraya left them with one last reminder:
“Failing to plan means planning to fail.”
