On 6 September 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Organization for Migration (IOM) Thailand co-hosted the inaugural Training on Migration Reporting at Pullman Bangkok King Power.  The event was a capacity building exercise to support media professionals on their coverage of migration issues, and to equip them with background information on the regional and national situation, government policy, and related human rights frameworks, to strengthen their role in combating misinformation and negative stereotypes of migrants.  The training was attended by approximately 20 participants from both Thai and international media agencies and journalism students.  

The event commenced with opening remarks from Mr. Tanee Sangrat, Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who underscored Thailand’s role as a Champion Country working to advance implementation of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), including objective 17: “to eliminate all forms of discrimination and promote evidence-based public discourse to shape perceptions of migration.”  Ms. Géraldine Ansart, Chief of Mission, IOM, Thailand, highlighted the role of the media in suppporting an informed discourse on migration and how IOM has worked to strengthen migration reporting by launching the Global Migration Media Academy in 2021 and publishing a migration handbook for journalists.

The training was divided into two sessions. In the morning session, Mr. Miko Alazas, Media and Communications Officer, IOM Thailand, and Mr. Italyi Viriri, Senior Regional Media and Communications Officer, Spokesperson, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, introduced participants to IOM’s mission to promote regular migration, reduce forced migration, and protect the human rights of migrants, through collaboration with government agencies, partner agencies, and the media. Mr. Phuchphop Mongkolnavin, Deputy Director-General, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided an overview of the role of various government agencies in assisting migrants, international frameworks related to migration and the specific situation in Thailand, before ending with the critical role of the media in raising awareness on the contributions of migrants to the economy and society, and migrants’ rights.

In the afternoon, Mr. Pongpiphat Banchanont, Editor of The Matter, and Ms. Nanchanok Wongsamuth, a free lance journalist who was formerly with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, hosted a workshop and group activities for participants. They focused on narratives surrounding migration, effective reporting on migration, fact checking with reliable sources, and interview guidelines for interviewing migrants. Participants were thus giving the opportunity to apply knowledge from the morning session through real world examples and to discuss the future direction of migration reporting.