Mentorships

In 2019, the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) launched the Newsroom, a three-month journalism training program for young Cambodians who aspire to be journalists and learn how to report and write news. For the most promising trainees of each batch, the program ends with a reporting field trip in which trainees are teamed up with experienced journalists who work with them as mentors. The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC), which represents foreign journalists working in Cambodia, is a partner in the mentorship program.

In this program, the trainee and the mentor will work together on a feature story. Reporting for this story should include serious field work, preferably outside Phnom Penh. During this collaboration, the trainee can learn from the mentor, while the mentor can count on the assistance of the trainee. The end result is a published feature story with the mentor and trainee sharing the byline.

Newsroom trainers and the OPCC select the mentors. Interested journalists are invited to pitch a story idea that they think would be interesting to work on with a trainee reporter.

Foreign journalists can send their pitch to:

The OPCC: [email protected]

Cambodian journalists can send their pitch to

Kann Vicheika, [email protected].

Deadlines

  • Batch 12: Fri Nov 3
  • Batch 13: Mar 1, 2023
  • Batch 14: June 28, 2023

When pitching a story, be sure to mention which publications you usually work for and which publication would be interested in publishing your story.

Foreign journalists who wish to be a mentor need to be a member of the OPCC. If you are not a member yet and you are interested in being a mentor, please contact OPCC’s treasurer for more information at [email protected].

Each mentor will receive a stipend of around $670. Discussions about story angles, timeframes and deadlines are between the mentor, the trainee, the Newsroom trainers and the publishing outlet.

Past Mentorship Stories

KHMER

អ្នក​ភូមិ​កោះគរ​បារម្ភ​ពី​សុវត្ថិភាព ក្រោយ​ពី​​​ច្រាំង​ទន្លេ​បាក់​ជា​បន្ត​បន្ទាប់ ដោយសារ​ការ​បូម​ខ្សាច់
https://cambonomist.com/news/sand-dredging-causes-bank-erosion-/

ប្រជា​នេសាទ​បឹងទន្លេសាប​ព្រួយបារម្ភ​ខ្លាំង​ ដោយសារ​ផល​នេសាទ​ត្រី​ធ្លាក់ចុះ​យ៉ាង​គំហុក
https://vodkhmer.news/2019/12/25/tonle-sap-fishermen-are-very-worried-by-the-sharp-decline-in-fishing/​

បទ​​យក​ការណ៍​៖​ វត្ត​​មួយ​​នៅ​​ត្បូង​ឃ្មុំ​​ស្វែង​រក​​ដី​​ប្តូរ​​ទី​តាំង​​ព្រោះ​​ប្រឈម​​នឹង​​ការ​​បាក់​​ចូល​ទន្លេ​​
https://vodkhmer.news/2020/07/24/a-pagoda-is-seeking-a-place-to-relocate-due-to-river-bank-collapse/

បទ​​យក​ការណ៍​៖ ទឹក​ឡើង​​យឺត​​ធ្វើ​​ឱ្យ​​ប្រជា​​នេសាទ​​នៅ​​កំពង់​ចាម​​ប្រឈម​​នឹង​​បំណុល​​ព្រោះ​​រក​​ត្រី​​មិន​សូវ​​បាន​​
https://vodkhmer.news/2020/08/03/a-slow-rise-water-puts-fishermen-in-kampong-cham-at-risk-of-debt/

ENGLISH

They escaped the worst of COVID-19. Now Cambodians face a debt crisis
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-08-07/covid-19-shutdown-creates-debt-crisis-in-cambodia

Lost treasures emerge in Cambodia’s hunt for historic sites as locals dream of tourist dollars
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3077573/lost-treasures-emerge-cambodias-hunt-historic-sites-locals

Shackled and locked up, Cambodia’s mentally ill languish in limbo
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/shackled-and-locked-up-cambodias-mentally-ill-languish-in-limbo/2020/02/14/a8c8bfbe-2df6-11ea-bffe-020c88b3f120_story.html

In Bosra, a Bunong Community Keeps Up Its Fight Against French Firm Bolloré
https://vodenglish.news/in-bosra-a-bunong-community-keeps-up-its-fight-against-french-firm-bollore/

FRENCH

Droits de l’homme au Cambodge: l’industrie textile menacée par des sanctions européennes
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/emission/20191224-cambodge-ouvrier-textile-face-menace-sanction-droit-homme-europe

Cambodge. L’ethnie bunong poursuit son combat contre Bolloré
https://www.ouest-france.fr/monde/cambodge/cambodge-l-ethnie-bunong-poursuit-son-combat-contre-bollore-27bdae8a-5468-11ec-a757-a812cb0c2b29