Fairfax Staff support Newspaper in East Timor

Fairfax staff are working in partnership with Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA on a project that aims to raise money to buy equipment and deliver training to Diario Tempo, an independent daily newspaper in East Timor. This project will officially be launched as part of the Fairfax "More than Words" Workplace Giving initiative in December.

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA and the journalists call on the media community and others to donate enough money to buy the equipment as detailed. It would be delivered to East Timor with appropriate training.

Donated money is tax deductible through Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, which is delivering the project and overseeing the training.

Stage 2 of the project would involve equipment maintenance and further training.

THE PAPER

This 16-page Dili tabloid is struggling to meet deadlines, partly because of a shortage of equipment. It publishes in Tetum (East Timor's lingua franca), with an English and some Indonesian pages, too.

The paper's tiny office contains four computers, including two recycled from the tip for reporters. At peak production time reporters queue behind machines waiting for others to finish, creating delays and missed deadlines.

The paper has asked for help with basic equipment to smooth their production process. On being told in September 2005 that we would do this, they welcomed the idea, and thanked us.

The President of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, also thanked us for the project, which he supports. He said in an interview with Jock Cheetham in September this year: "We need not only equipment, but intensive courses. We feel the lack of crediting of our journalists. If you can bring training, then very good."

While journalists were doing well in East Timor, in general terms, Mr Gusmao said "in the medium term it would be good to go to universities and have journalistic information and training so they can learn".

"We don't have economic journalists, or those to analyse the social side." This project fits with Mr Gusmao's stated aim of prioritising the development of small to medium-sized enterprises.

THE GOALS

The project is expected to produce two types of outcomes:

Stage 1. In immediate term, Diario Tempo office will be equipped with more and improved publishing and printing facilities and the staff will be trained to use the new gear.

Goal: Raise $40,000 this year to buy computers, tape decks, motorbikes, cameras and other equipment, as well as pay for training of Diario Tempo staff. Precise budget available on request from jockcheetham@mac.com

Stage 2. In medium to longer term, Diario Tempo will have trained staff to continue quality news research, processing and publishing.

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 29-Nov-2005 16:14:33 EST
This page: http://apheda.org.au/news/1133240816_5272.html