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Reporting the news is not for the faint-hearted in the Philippines, the deadliest country in the world for journalists over the last quarter century besides the war zones of Iraq and Syria.
If you are not crossing the path of corrupt officials, criminal networks or feuding local strongmen, there are the risks involved in covering communist or Muslim separatist insurrections in the south of the archipelago of more than 7,000 islands.
Tensions are never higher than at voting time, and with just about every official in the country up for election on May 9, from president to local leaders, the Thomson Reuters Foundation brought 12 Filipino journalists together in Manila this March to refresh their knowledge and learn new tricks.
For three days they did practical exercises to build on existing skills, learned from each other’s experiences and discussed how to report accurately, fairly and ethically in a country where many pressures push them in the other direction.
They also brainstormed innovative ways to improve their election coverage using traditional and social media, and to focus on issues that matter to voters in a democracy with a weak party system where personalities and family dynasties rule.
Visiting speaker Melinda Quintos de Jesus, director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, urged them to stand together to improve the lot of journalists.
Manuel Mogato, a Reuters correspondent who has covered numerous elections here, dropped by from the newsroom to discuss how to stay safe with the TV, radio, web and print journalists. They had come from Manila, the second city Cebu and regions of the country hit by hurricanes or insurrections.
Jeremy Laurence, Asia spokesman for U.N. human rights and a former Reuters journalist, surprised the group on the last day by role-playing a military coup leader before switching back to his real job and talking to them about the challenges in ensuring fair treatment for all in one of the region’s biggest democracies.
Participants also get a chance after the course of one-on-one online mentoring for a story of their choice.
Catch up with the latest Reuters news on the Philippines election here.
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