Mrs Phonesavanh Thikeo (second right), meets with Mrs Claire M. Gorman (third left), and her team during a visit to the Vientiane Times office in Vientiane

Laos, Australia strengthen ties through media partnership

Laos and Australia are working more closely to build a stronger, more modern media landscape by offering practical training, digital workshops and long-term capacity building, according to a senior official
Editor-in-Chief of Lao Press in Foreign Languages, Mrs Phonesavanh Thikeo, warmly welcomed Head of Strategy at ABC International, Mrs Claire M. Gorman, to the Vientiane Times offices on Tuesday to discuss future cooperation in journalism.
Mrs Phonesavanh gave a brief summary of the newspaper’s work, outlining its role in professional reporting as well as some of the challenges it faces in the rapidly changing digital age.
She also highlighted how new technology and shifting audience habits are reshaping the media sector.
The two sides shared ideas and experiences, focusing on ways to deepen their cooperation, especially in digital reporting, journalist training, and creating platforms for regional discussion.
Mrs Gorman and her colleagues are visiting Laos from May 26-30 as part of efforts to expand the Laos-Australia strategic partnership, with media collaboration being one of the key areas of interest.
With newsrooms everywhere facing challenges from social media, artificial intelligence and misinformation, both sides agreed it is more important than ever to support strong, trustworthy journalism.
ABC’s Lead for International Public Affairs, Mrs Jo Elsom, said her team plans to organise a “Digital Dialogue” workshop in Laos in July or August, aiming to bring together journalists in the region to exchange views on digital media, audience engagement, and new technologies.
The event is expected to focus on key issues such as media resilience, business sustainability, disinformation, the use of artificial intelligence, and mobile journalism.
She said the workshop would cover practical issues like media resilience, business sustainability, the threat of disinformation, and how to use AI in ways that help rather than harm public trust.
There will also be hands-on training in mobile journalism, where participants get to practise using modern tools to produce digital stories, something ABC has already done successfully in Indonesia and Vietnam.
To support long-term learning, ABC also offers a three-month course called the Foundations of Journalism.
The programme blends online and face-to-face sessions, with more than 30 modules covering everything from basic writing skills to digital content and ethics.
ABC also runs specialised training on topics like election reporting, finance and business journalism, climate coverage, and support for women trying to enter the sports media field.
Mrs Gorman said ABC is also building a leadership stream to support journalists as they move into newsroom management and senior media roles.
This will include separate programmes for up-and-coming leaders, newsroom managers, and media executives.
The Vientiane Times and ABC International already have a foundation to build on. In 2022, both sides signed an agreement to exchange information and work more closely together.
Following this meeting, they agreed to continue the partnership in order to strengthen ties between Laos and Australia, and to promote deeper cultural, social, and people-to-people links.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update May 30, 2025)