This is an opportunity provided by the Reporting Climate Change programme: Find out more

This course is by invitation only

To reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to uphold commitments to limit global temperature rise, countries in Southeast Asia will be transitioning away from coal and fossil fuels in favor of clean renewable sources. Yet, there are many questions about what this transition will look like in a region that is under pressure to meet growing energy demand.  Journalists and editors reporting on business, economics and finance play an important role in covering this story and informing the public and stakeholders as this transition unfolds.

Thomson Reuters Foundation, in collaboration with Stanley Center for Peace and Security, is holding a 3-day training called “Reporting the Energy Transition in Southeast Asia” from June 12-14, 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. The training will equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to improve coverage of energy transition issues in the region as economies decarbonize to meet national and global clean-energy targets.

Two experienced Thomson Reuters Foundation trainers will lead the course. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and exercises, meet subject matter experts, and go on a half-day field trip. The course will have a strong emphasis on addressing gaps in understanding, access to information, and development of skills that can be applied to produce unbiased, accurate, and high quality journalism on climate change and related clean energy transition issues affecting the region.

Participants will also have the opportunity to develop story ideas related to the business, economic and financial impacts and opportunities associated with the clean energy transition in their home countries.  After the course, small reporting grants may be available for participants to pursue these stories, with support from Thomson Reuters Foundation. 

At the end of this course participants should be able to:

• Assemble and report an energy transition story within the context of the climate change targets of their respective country
• Identify credible sources for energy transition stories
• Develop a range of timely climate change and related energy transition story ideas
• Include appropriate context and balance in these stories
• Understand potential pitfalls in covering climate change and energy
• Understand concepts relating to science-based targets for energy sector policy and planning and how this interacts with investment, development and innovation in Southeast Asia
• Decipher acronyms and complex renewable energy and energy transition concepts
• Grasp the dynamics of the international debate on energy transition and how it factors into region concerns.

Who Can Apply

• Must be full-time journalists or editors covering business, economic, environmental, energy, and/or finance news from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea.
• Must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism and should have at least two years of professional experience.
• Journalists must have permission from their editors to attend the training.
• Since the training will be conducted in English, participants must be proficient in spoken and written English.  
• Must be available to travel to Bangkok, Thailand and commit to participating in all the activities of the training program from June 12-14, 2019.

Course Logistics

All expenses (economy-class flight, accommodation, meals, and local transport) will be covered for participating journalists or editors as part of a partnership between Thomson Reuters Foundation and Stanley Center for Peace and Security.  Participants will be responsible for securing the proper visa for travel to Thailand, if necessary, though the organizers will reimburse visa costs.

If you have any queries, please email TRFMedia@thomsonreuters.com

A limited number of journalists and editors have been invited to apply for this opportunity, however submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

About the Stanley Center for Peace and Security's Journalism & Media Programming

Together with collaborators, Stanley Center for Peace and Security equips journalists and the media community to produce better-informed and more effective reporting on topics related to global issues of peace and security, including climate change. The foundation creates opportunities for journalists to learn through expert led workshops and trainings, as well as reporting fellowships, and it champions a strong and independent press as a vital part of democracy and an essential pillar to building a more secure and peaceful world.