Citizen journalist Nat Sina’s story on the Women’s Media Centre (WMC) Facebook page about unexploded ordnance on a busy village path in Kampong Thom Province in Cambodia led to immediate results. Mine clearance specialists quickly confirmed that the explosive had up to a 90% chance of exploding and removed it. The deminers also confirmed that there were no other UXOs nearby. Now children can travel safely to school and farmers feel more confident ploughing and cultivating their fields.
Deminer removing UXO.
Prasat Andet Village Chief Roth Than said he was grateful for the quick response by the deminers, noting that villagers had been extremely concerned about their safety.
Demining official Kim Channol from the Cambodian Mine Action Center said she appreciated the WMC news report.
“I would like to urge people that when they see an explosive device like this, they should report it to the police station or village chief so that they can contact us,” she said. “We will then come to neutralize or remove it.”
To Nat Sina, age 20, a student at the Polytechnic Institute of Kampong Thom, this experience demonstrated the power of journalism to connect community concerns with those who have the authority and responsibility to respond.
She began her journey in 2024 in training courses on news writing and factchecking from WMC.
She has produced 21 news articles highlighting a wide range of issues affecting women and girls, including their livelihoods and needs in agriculture, community development, health, and natural disasters. All the articles were published by WMC on Facebook.
“The lessons on factchecking provided by WMC trainers were very useful. I can apply these skills in my daily life, especially at a time when misinformation, scams, and fabricated information are increasingly spreading on social media,” Nat Sina explained.
Nat Sina has shared what she learned with her family and friends. She introduced them to reverse image search tools, such as Google Image Search, which can help users identify when and where an image was originally published and determine whether it is authentic.
Nat Sina won’t stop here. She is committed to producing more stories that highlight issues affecting women, girls, and children living in remote areas, including limited access to healthcare services and clean water. She hopes to bring these issues to the attention of local authorities so that they can identify appropriate solutions and provide better support to vulnerable people.
She hopes that WMC will continue to provide support and resources that enable her bring local concerns to wider public attention.
Nat Sina’s experience shows how equipping young people with journalism, media literacy, and fact-checking skills can enable them to identify community concerns and connect citizens with relevant authorities.
“For me, journalism is more than simply reporting news,” she said. “It is a way to amplify the voices of people whose concerns may otherwise remain unheard and to contribute to positive change in my community.”
About the Author
Chan Krisna Sawada
Mrs. Chan Krisna Sawada is a Cambodian-Canadian development and human rights leader with more than 18 years of experience directing programs, strengthening institutions, building partnerships, and advancing policy change in Cambodia. Since 2024, she has served as Executive Director of the Women’s Media Centre of Cambodia, providing strategic and operational leadership, overseeing its strategic plan, expanding audience reach and social impact, and championing women’s rights and gender equality. She builds relationships with journalists, civil society, government,
donors, businesses, and communities while strengthening financial sustainability,
accountability, staff performance, and a respectful, gender-sensitive workplace. Her
expertise includes country operations, program and project management, policy
advocacy, institutional strengthening, capacity building, gender mainstreaming,
monitoring and evaluation, proposal development, and participatory facilitation.
