Local Travel Grants and Story Honoraria Available for HIV/AIDS Coverage

CALLS for Stories for AMF Series: ASIA and HIV/AIDS

Home to more than 8 million people living with HIV/AIDS, Asia faces a wide range of challenges in tackling the pandemic -- and its various aspects relating not just to health and science, but to development, access to medicine and human rights, economics, policy, gender, religion and culture, among others.

In keeping with its aim of encouraging local and relevant reporting, the Asia Media Forum is now accepting proposals for quality, in-depth
stories from Asian countries and communities for a series to be published on the AMF website in the run-up to Dec. 1, World AIDS Day 2005.

The series is open to journalists from Asia, who can choose to write in English or in their local languages.

Proposals need to contain: (a) specific story angle to be explored
(b) specific place (province, district) within the country to be visited for research/interviews, if applicable
(c) varied kinds of sources to be interviewed
(d) a resume
(e) two samples of work

The Asia Media Forum's series on HIV/AIDS will give priority to the
following themes:
human rights, marginalised groups, trade barriers, economic impacts, children, reproductive health and community and examples of creative efforts to address the pandemic. Stories should contain lots of
local colour and seek to bring out under-reported angles.

Accepted journalists will produce stories/a set of stories of at least 2,000 words. They would get small grants for local travel (in-
country) for about 3 nights, and an honoraria upon full submission, completion of work.

The stories need to be published in the writers' own publication. They will also appear on the AMF website (www.asiamediaforum.org) and
will be distributed to regional and international media and users by Inter Press Service Asia-Pacific (www.ipsnews.net).

Please send proposals to info@asiamediaforum.org by Oct. 10, 2005.

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About the Asia Media Forum

The Asia Media Forum website (http://www.AsiaMediaForum.org) is a
newly-established space for journalists to share insights on issues related to the media and their profession, as well as stories, information and opinions on democracy, development and human rights in Asia.

The website features articles contributed by journalists across Asia, a bulletin board, a chat room to discuss current issues, and more.
Journalists from and reporting on Asia are invited to become members by signing up here http://www.asiamediaforum.org/user/register.
Registration is free.

For more information please visit www.AsiaMediaForum.org or e-mail
info@asiamediaforum.org or call Surasak Glahan on 662-246-7877-8 or 664-
101-4776.