Journalists and media organizations from Southeast Asia met on 20 March 2024 in Manila to launch the Journalists Against Corruption (JAC) network. The network is supported by the Government of Sweden and the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok commented on the new initiative, saying they are committed to support the JAC and similar efforts to reduce corruption and support the free media. The networks goal is to foster collaborations and safeguard journalists as they report on issues of corruption in the region.
The formation of the network started in 2023 in Kuala Lumpur. It is meant to be a self-sustaining initiative and provide a platform for national and regional investigations and training opportunities.
Participating countries are the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Timor-Leste. The countries voiced different challenges when working as a journalist. Among other things they mentioned physical and online threats, weaponizing of laws, access issues, low pay and a lack of opportunities for upskilling. They then discussed how the JAC could solve some of the problems and concluded that training on anti-corruption journalism and maintaining communication lines should be part of the solution.
JAC was initiated by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Besides the Swedish government, the United States International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs also support the network.
Source: DailyGuardian
