News media a key to advancing Australia’s Asia capability

In an increasingly globalised world, the need for in depth international news coverage could not be greater. For Australia, placed on the edge of Asia, this applies especially to news of, and from, our region and how it relates to our particular national interest.

At the same time, we see in recent decades a serious decline in the number of Australian frontline correspondents stationed in Asia. With fewer full-time reporters located in key Asian centres, Australian audiences increasingly lack firsthand coverage of a region that is central to our economic, community and strategic interests. 

Added to the problem is the limited preparation provided to those who do get posted to Asia, and a limited awareness of Asian affairs in many newsrooms. Few correspondents posted to Asia speak an Asian language and rely on interpretation, limiting their effectiveness.

The situation is not helped by the plethora of home-based writers and commentators who, relying solely on internet access, can present some semblance of international news coverage and tailor it more closely to local interest and taste, none of which is a substitute for having reporters’ boots on the ground in Asia.

Reporting and processing news from afar has always had its challenges and the evolving media landscape with all its uncertainties is one of them. What is clear, despite the uncertainties and given the national Asia capability deficit, is that there is a compelling case for supporting Australian news media with opportunities to lift their capacity to communicate Asia to their readers and audiences. 

For more than two decades, the Melbourne-based Asia Pacific Journalism Centre (APJC) has played a quiet but significant role in helping Australian journalists engage more deeply with the Asia Pacific region. Its mission – to help media across the region share professional knowledge in a changing world – aligns closely with the Asia capability framework outlined in the Federal Government’s Australia in the Asian Century White Paper (2012). This framework defines Asia capability as encompassing knowledge of Asia’s societies, economies, politics, and cultures; language and communication skills; networks and relationships across the region; and attitudes of openness, adaptability, and respect for diversity.

Since 2003, APJC has run study tours, professional dialogues, and exchange programs across Asia for more than 1,000 media professionals, with almost a third being Australians. Australian participants have gained first-hand exposure to regional development and environmental challenges, deepening their understanding of the societies and cultures they report on and equipping them to move beyond crisis-focused narratives.

Programs such as the Understanding Near Neighbours initiative, funded by the Myer Foundation, allowed early to mid-career Australian journalists to explore Indonesia’s provinces, learning about its history, economy, national life, and culture, including the role of Islam. 

The Asia Pacific Journalism Dialogue, funded by Myer and the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, enabled Australian and regional journalists to go on shared study tour and reporting journeys in the region, covering economic development, climate change and other issues. 

The China Australia Journalist Exchange, partly funded by ANZ, brought journalists from both nations together to meet government, business, academic, and media representatives, and see firsthand developments in the other country. Fifty Australian journalists have participated in the exchanges. 

Other APJC programs, most funded by now defunct AusAID, have included work with Dalit media in Nepal, post-conflict journalism support in Timor-Leste, regional videoconferences on reporting post-disaster reconstruction and other media development work in the southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia. All have involved some participation by Australian journalists. 

Beyond building knowledge, these mostly Asia-focussed programs have cultivated cross-cultural communication skills, as journalists learn to navigate local norms and sensitivities. They also establish enduring networks between Australian and Asian media professionals, laying the groundwork for more nuanced regional reporting. Feedback from participants consistently highlights the transformative impact of these experiences, which often shift mindsets toward Asia-literate, inclusive perspectives, encouraging reporting that reflects local contexts rather than solely Western viewpoints.

Funding for Asia engagement media programs today is a constant challenge, as APJC has experienced, with foundation sector interest waning and government media support directed primarily towards strengthening Pacific media. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade via its cultural agencies has made occasional country-specific grants to promote news media connection with Asia, but overall, the opportunity to leverage Australian news media to this end has not been taken up and government support for programs involving on-the-ground engagement are limited and tentative. This is especially so in the case of China, where fear of domestic criticism and concerns about foreign influence appear to outweigh the need for Australians to develop first-hand understanding.

Two priority initiatives could address this gap:

Asia Capability Training Initiative – A national professional development program would provide online briefing modules for journalists on regional issues, digital media trends, intercultural reporting ethics, and country-specific histories, politics, economies, and societies. Advanced modules would focus on strategies for cross-border news collaboration through joint reporting projects and newsroom partnerships with Asian media organisations. A public platform could showcase collaborative reporting, while university partnerships could integrate content into journalism programs, reflecting the fact that many entrants into the profession lack formal exposure to Asia literacy.

Asian Exposure Initiative – Early to mid-career journalists would undertake structured study tours and exchange programs with advance briefings and support from local media institutions. Programs could take inspiration from models such as the East-West Center’s Jefferson Fellowships, which combine reporting and study tours to enhance understanding of the Indo-Pacific, or the Bosch Foundation’s Media Ambassadors China-Germany program, which enabled journalists to spend three months in each other’s country and is widely praised for its ambitious engagement.

These initiatives could help ensure that future Australian journalists are not only Asia-aware but Asia-capable – able to inform national understanding, strengthen regional relationships, and contribute to long-term security and trust across the Asia Pacific.

John Wallace is a journalist and journalism educator with an interest in international journalism and development. He is executive director of the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre.