A Cambodian doctoral candidate in the US has been awarded the UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi fellowship to conduct a research on “Public Service Broadcasting Model for Developing Countries: The Case of Cambodia.”
The $10,000 fellowship, from UNESCO and the Keizo Obuchi program, was awarded to Im Sothearith, a doctoral candidate of mass communications at Ohio University. He is one of the 20 UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi fellowship winners around the world.
“Many people have said press freedom in Cambodia is adequate, but we have only seen quantity, not quality,” Im Sothearith said. “The quality we’re referring to is independence of broadcasting, because broadcasting in Cambodia is still under political influence.”
UNESCO spokeswoman in Phnom Penh, Isabel Gonzalez Roje, said the organization provides scholarships and fellowships to Cambodian students each year. Ir Win Merida, an assistant program expert for UNESCO in Paris, said UNESCO awards about 500 fellowships a year.