Overview:
Journalists from across Palau are sharpening their skills to tell the stories that matter most. On June 15, media representatives from TMC, Palau Wave Radio, Island Times, Ngerel Belau and other local outlets gathered for a hands-on disaster reporting training hosted by ABC International Development — building the tools to cover climate change and disasters from the Pacific’s own front lines.
A regional media workshop is equipping local reporters with skills to tell stories about disasters and climate change from the front lines of the Pacific
By: Summer Kennard
KOROR, Palau (June 15, 2026) — Media representatives from across Palau gathered Sunday for the first day of a disaster reporting training hosted by ABC International Development.
The workshop brought together participants from several local outlets, including TMC, Palau Wave Radio, Island Times, and Ngerel Belau.
Fred Hooper, advisor and content maker for ABC International Development, and Kate Seymour, the organization’s project director, facilitated the training. The program is designed to strengthen journalists’ skills in covering disasters, climate change and related issues affecting Pacific Island nations.
During the opening session, participants explored the role of audio storytelling in helping audiences visualize events and experiences. Attendees also had the opportunity to work with professional interview equipment used in radio, video and multimedia reporting.
Hooper stressed the urgency of disaster reporting in the region.
“I think it’s important for people to know how to report on disasters and climate change because the place that’s most affected by these events is the Pacific and Pacific nations,” he said.
Hooper added that the program aims to help local journalists produce stronger, more effective stories from their own perspectives.
“We just want to help people make better radio stories about disasters, climate change, and disaster preparedness, basically, so they can tell better stories from their own perspective, from their own countries,” he said.
