KUCHING: Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) officials serving as the secretariat for disaster management committees in the state need to master proper techniques in media reporting and public communication.
Captain Azamsah Apearal, Senior Training Officer of APM Sarawak said this is crucial to avoid miscommunication that could cause panic.
In line with this, he said that APM Sarawak is collaborating with local news agency Suara Sarawak to train its members to be proficient and ethical in delivering accurate news, especially during disasters.
“This collaboration with Suara Sarawak is the first of its kind for us in APM, to work closely with them. We are excited that 80 members from 32 Civil Defence Department district offices throughout Sarawak have the opportunity to learn from Suara Sarawak, where the course will be conducted by chief executive officer of Suara Sarawak and New Sarawak Tribune, Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir, who is an expert in journalism,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He explained that this collaboration is important as part of a strengthening programme for the Sarawak Disaster Management Secretariat, even at the district level.
“This is because the secretariat’s reports must adhere to ethical standards to ensure that news delivery does not cause panic among the public.
“Therefore, we hope that Dr Jeniri and his team can share the correct knowledge and skills in preparing reports as required by the media. This includes the preparation of visual reports and the proper techniques to convey them to the public, especially during disasters, to avoid misinterpretation and to ensure that we uphold the sensitivity of all parties,” he added.
Azamsah hoped that the collaboration between APM and Suara Sarawak could expand the roles of APM in emergency and disaster tasks.
He thanked Suara Sarawak and welcomed the cooperation in disseminating information to the public about the responsibilities of APM.
The Public Relations course, scheduled to start today (Wednesday), will cover aspects such as the role of the secretariat, disaster reporting and temporary evacuation centre management.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s session will focus on journalism ethics, effective news delivery, and capturing compelling images.
