DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/20 Nov) — How can social media help in the reportage and management of disasters like floods? How can journalists improve their reportage and how can other citizens help?
Move.PH and Newsbreak and experts on disaster management will answer these and more during the chat sessions on Monday afternoon (Nov. 21) at the Ateneo de Davao University on the theme “Social Media for Social Change: Baha? Kitay’ Bahala” (Floods? Together we can handle these).
Move.PH’s Maria Ressa, formerly of CNN and ABS-CBN and now Author-in-residence, International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore; Prof. Chay Hofilena of Ateneo de Manila University and Pat Evangelista of ANC’s Storyline and columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, will be among the speakers.
Move.PH envisions “journalists working with students, youth, and ordinary citizens who want to bring about change in different aspects of the nation’s life” and hopefully create a community “that can work on projects together over the long term.”
“As recent political developments in other parts of the world have shown, social media can bring about revolutionary change. One just needs to know what tools are out there, how to use them, maximize potentials, and then measure impact, Move.PH said.
Organizers are expecting about 500 participants to the activity at F700 at the ADDU. Registration can be done online (http://www.facebook.com/move.ph) while walk-in participants and those who failed to pre-register can do so from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
Fr. Joel Tabora, ADDU President, will deliver the welcome remarks at 1 p.m. to be followed by a video presentation on what Move.PH is all about, and six 15-minute chat sessions until 4:40 pm.
Evangelista will handle Chat Session 1 on Telling Stories; Fr. Dan McNamara, SJ will handle Session 2 on Understanding Floods and Disasters; Col. Vener Monsanto, Chief Operaitons Officer of Davao 911 will speak on Effective Disaster Response in Session 3.
Hofilena’s topic for Session 4 is Using Social Media for Disaster Management and Reporting; Ayee Macaraig will handle “The Fun and Challenge of Being a Multimedia Reporter in Chat Session 5; while Ressa will talk about Social Media for Social Change in Chat Session 6.
Ten outputs from volunteer workshop participants in the morning will be viewed during breaks.
A panel discussion will be held after the six chat sessions.
Move.PH and Newsbreak’s partners in the Davao City workshop are MindaNews, Ateneo de Davao University, Mindanao Commission on Women and the 10th Infantry Division.
Move.PH held a chat session in Baguio City last September 28 at the University of the Philippines-Baguio. (MindaNews)
