Missing the Target

The US State Department has good intentions when it brings someone like Mark Feldstein to the Maldives for a few days. Unfortunately, this is exactly the type of program that makes very little impact here.

Mark, a PhD from George Washington University, was given the use of the cavernous training hall at Voice of Maldives for three nights from 5 to 10 pm. However, the turnout was low and his message about the importance of digging for a story only reached a half a dozen print and broadcast journalists. Mark has an impressive background as an investigative reporter in the US and showed one of his own pieces on labor abuse, as well as the famous Food Lion package by ABC, in which investigative reporters lie to obtain jobs in a supermarket to show the store is selling spoiled meat.

Much of the discussion centered on why this kind of reporting is not possible in Maldives. The reasons range from reporters not yet having access to public records, to the simple fact that it's impossible to go undercover in a country of 300,000 people where everyone knows everyone. In a few years, when the Access to Public Documents law is working, there will be a heyday for investigative reporting here because previously hidden facts will come out in the open. But at the moment, the seminar only served to illustrate the degree to which US diplomats in Colombo Sri Lanka are out of step with the realities of print and broadcast journalism here.

The proposal offered Maldivian newsrooms a a chance for Mark to visit for "two or three hours!" (their punctuation, not mine) . That is hardly enough time for an introductory tour of the station and no chance for any real impact.

The Maldivians want to improve their news media and are receptive to real training inside the newsrooms. After two or three months -- not days -- my team has begun to make a real difference in ONE news organization. The Maldivians are paying for this training themselves. But the country is experiencing budget problems and could use additional support for training to continue the progress toward a truly free and competitive press. I hope someone at the US State Department will take the time to learn more about the situation and offer some real help.