National Union of Journalists of the Philippines

With China’s increasing influence in the region in general, and in the Philippines in particular, stories on China, its increasing engagement in the country, its foreign assistance, investments and loans and the long-running dispute over the West Philippine Sea will likely be staples in the news cycle.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put most of China’s engagement with the media on hold but, with restrictions easing up, and with issues like the West Philippine Sea coming up again because of the May elections, here are some tips to keep in mind when covering or writing about China, its programs and its policies.

Kenya Union of Journalists

Under the IFJ’s China program, the Kenyan Union of Journalists (KUJ) ran a crucial training session for journalists on fact-checking, with Chinese influence on Kenya as the focus. The training focused on giving participants the necessary tools to flag out misinformation and boost their capacity to remain professional while covering China’s interests and huge infrastructure projects being funded in Kenya. 

Journalists at the workshop raised issues with operation of the railway, which is being supported by taxpayers, despite a Chinese company managing ticketing and levying charges on cargo transportation from Mombasa to Nairobi. The media continues to report on the operations of the railway and ongoing efforts by the Kenyan government to take over its operations and management to reduce running costs - and the growing burden on the taxpayer. 

To deal with misinformation and national anxiety around Kenya losing its major assets, the KUJ has urged the members to use fact-checking tools to help identify unverified news on China, especially on the numerous investment projects rolling out in Kenya. 

Participants in the KUJ workshops agreed that the training was eye opening and will go a long way to improve the quality of their reports and skills in flagging information that is misleading. 

Association of Taiwan Journalists

With China’s increasing influence in the region in general, and in the Philippines in particular, stories on China, its increasing engagement in the country, its foreign assistance, investments and loans and the long-running dispute over the West Philippine Sea will likely be staples in the news cycle.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put most of China’s engagement with the media on hold but, with restrictions easing up, and with issues like the West Philippine Sea coming up again because of the May elections, here are some tips to keep in mind when covering or writing about China, its programs and its policies.