U.S. Embassy and Media Council Hold Investigative Journalism Workshop

September 23, 2009

Investigative Journalism Workshop participants with Media Council representative Nimo Kama and visiting U.S. journalist Lea Thompson.

Port Moresby: The U.S. Embassy and the Media Council of Papua New Guinea, supported by AUSAID, held a two day investigative journalism workshop for members of the PNG media. Participants discussed the state of news and investigative reporting as well as the challenges of investigative reporting in PNG. They took part in a number of exercises to enhance their analytical skills and reviewed techniques for computer assisted reporting. The workshop was opened by the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Paul Berg.

Lea Thompson is a former chief correspondent for NBC News and NBC Dateline. She is best known for her hard-hitting investigative pieces focused on consumer, finance, health, senior, safety and environmental issues.

At NBC News and WRC-TV in Washington, Thompson won every major journalism award in broadcasting, including: two Peabodys, two George Polks, a Columbia Dupont, three National Emmys, two national Edward R. Murrow Awards, six Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Awards, and a Loeb. She is the recipient of dozens of other national journalism awards and numerous civic and lifetime awards, including an Honorary Doctorate and Washingtonian of the Year.