04 April 2008

Job Opening at Radio Free Asia Khmer Service វិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរី ជ្រើសរើសបុគ្គលិក

Here in Phnom Penh I listen to Radio Free Asia (RFA) almost every day. It is broadcast from Washington USA. I found out that RFA Khmer service is hiring reporter for a temporary job position. Since the deadline of applying is 13 April 2008 I have about 10 more days to think about in submitting my Curriculum Vitae to Khmer RFA director in Washington America. Although I don't know how much the pay will be for this position, but I thought it would be great to work for RFA. Since RFA is an American organisation, for me that would be my dream job of getting some experience. I would learn the American way of reporting. I once read that news reporting in western worlds is 'non-bias fair and balance on all angles'. To be eligible there are six qualifications RFA is looking for in the potential candidate:

1) HAVE EXPERIENCE IN JOURNALISM, PREFERABLE IN RADIO JOURNALISM: I have no experience in this field whatsoever. I never know what journalism is all about. Here in Srok Khmer I only know one thing about the news. News over hear are all bias. Most news media from newspapers, radios and all TV's stations are controlled by the PM Hun Sen party CPP. So obviously the media are incessantly praising how good PM Hun Sen and the rest of his CCP members are. Furthermore, what I know about journalism here is that if you report anything to make the ruling government not liking you, you could be a target on the government hit list. That's all I know about journalism.

2) HAVE A DEGREE FROM A CREDIBLE UNIVERSITY: I have none. I've never gone to any higher learning schools in all my life. I know university degrees look like. I've seen some from my friends who graduated from NUM, IFL and Panasastra here in Phnom Penh. They look very nice. My self-taught style of the English reading/writing couldn't amount to anything, let alone from a university! I wish I have a university degree. I want a real one though.
Not like the ones PM Hun Sen have got. He got a lot of PhD's . Often time I wonder how many more PhD's Dr. Hun Sen will get for rest of his life time ? With so many degrees he earned already without going to school, his wife Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen probably very, very proud of him. Sorry, I'm a little veered off the subject to talk about PM Hun Sen degrees. You see? Now you can tell the writings of a non-university degree is like. Onto the next qualification.

3) SPEAK KHMER AS A MOTHER TONGUE. Yes! This one I qualified. My native tongue is Khmer. I am Khmer 100% in heart and brain! I am very proud to be a Khmer born to Khmer parents from Svay Rieng Province. I can read and write Khmer fluently. In my brain, I think in Khmer then translate to English whatever I want to say. Although my birth Svay Rieng province in bordered right next to Vietnam, I know no 'Tieng Viet'. I don't know Thai either. The only two languages I know are Khmer and English.

4) KNOW KHMER UNICODE. Yes. ខ្ញុំចេះយូនីខូដខ្មែរ ខ្ញុំអាចវាយ word​​ processing ជាភាសា របស់យើង តែមិនអាច វាយ អោយបាន លឿនរហ័ស ណាស់ណា​ទេ. I know and could type our language Unicode. I maybe not a fast typist, but I could improve this skill very quickly.

5) BE COMPUTER LITERATE. Yes, Windows, word processing and internet including blog publishing. I love MS Word ! I write with MS Word - it automatically check my spelling. That's why you probably notice I don't have much of misspelled words. I don't claimed myself as expert at computer, but I do comfortably know my way around the PC.

6) BE PROFICIENT ESPECIALLY IN READING AND WRITING ENGLISH: Humm….huhhh... I wouldn't say am "proficient", but think myself as "literate" in the English reading and writing. Again, my English is self-styled learned from many English novels. I've learned new vocabulary, grammar and style of writing from these readings. What keeps me going everyday is my passion in readings. I remembered one time during my elementary schooling I didn't read or write for about 2 months during the holiday vacation. When school resumed, I started picking up a pen to write, I couldn't believe my hand was so stiff and slow in writing just simple words. From this experience on, I practice reading and writing regularly. Both of these skills have expanded my way of thinking dramatically.

Now you know where I stand on the qualifications. If you're the RFA director would you hire me? If not, it's OK, I won't feel bad. I would be continuing to write freely as I am right now. But if I am hired, I have one condition to ask. I'd request to send me straight away to my first assignment coverage on PM Hun Sen getting many of his bogus PhD degrees.

Vanak
រាជធានីភ្នំពេញ

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Vanak, you don't have experience in journalism and no college degree. By judging the way you articulate in your writings, I would hire you.

Anonymous said...

Dude u are a crazy writer!. I wont hire u. cus i like read your blog here. keep good work!

Anonymous said...

Hi Vannak. This so funny how you take a swipe at PM Hun Sen in your writing. I am very impressed. You are a good writer. Eventhoug you don't have journalism experience and degree, i see you could be trained to be a better writer. Give you any topic, I think you could write. I hire you. Now to your first PM Hun Sen assignment !! lolz.

Anonymous said...

Vannak, you are a perfect fit for RFA. In any case, if you are selected by RFA, don't forget to update us on your blog, otherwise, we wouldn't be able to learn about our PM anymore.

But, if you work for RFA, please be careful because the PM may send his PMs (military police) to come after you ;->

Good luck to you!

Faithful reader from USA

Blog By Khmer said...

9:51 -- Yea, my regret i don't have a degree :( when I see some of my friends has education, I really respect them. Thanks for kind words of compliment.

11:49 --- Thanks for dropping by and give some comment. That's ok if you don't hire me. I would then be a director of my own news at this blog here. My opinion. My free expression.

d&e -- Thanks for the compliment. I didn't mean to criticise our PM Hun Sen all the time. It just came to me when i started to write. I think PM Hun and all our Cambodia politicians are public figures, therefore they should not immune to criticism --that's what I think. Thanks for dropping by to hire me .

4:38 --I'm glad you've been following my blog. Thank you for the encouragement. My blog here is fun -- i wouldn't abandon it ever. Unless PM Hun Sen instantly make the law to shut it down-- that I can't help. I want to write from my feeling on any topic. And I get more satifaction when my blog is read by the world. Yes, thank you for word of advice on the Khmer military police. I always thought most of these khmer military police are working for the interest of Hanoi government.

Soursdey said...

you should apply for it! "you never know if you never never go" You have nothing to lose besides the many minutes that it would take you to fill out the application. Just do it for the experience if nothing else.

Anonymous said...

Vanak,

I read your column all the time. I am sure you will qualify for the job. Go ahead with your resume. I wish you the best of luck!

Karuna

Blog By Khmer said...

Soursdey & Karuna -- I'll think hard on this one. Thank you for the encouragement.

Anonymous said...

Vanak, I hope you apply for that position. However, journalism is not as easy as it looks, and not as glamorous as Dith Pran made it. RFA will probably have editors that will give you assignments, you may not cover what you want, and they may censor what you want to say. Even in the USA there is a lot of censorship in the public arena. However, you would do a good job with RFA and provide a good counterbalance, even if it means you put your life at risk. You must apply!

Anonymous said...

Your writing is one sided very biased, your putting together of sentences are ridiculous. Anyone that hires you as a journalist would have to be out of their mind. Or REALLY need a journalist! "Hey I need a Journalist I think Ill go find an angry farmer that has no clue about whats really going on in the world and I'll hire him!" Great Idea Cambodia!!!!

Anonymous said...

Your writing is one sided very biased, your putting together of sentences are ridiculous. Anyone that hires you as a journalist would have to be out of their mind. Or REALLY need a journalist! "Hey I need a Journalist I think Ill go find an angry farmer that has no clue about whats really going on in the world and I'll hire him!" Great Idea Cambodia!!!!

Anonymous said...

wearing your pinky dress while you are wrting

Anonymous said...

ខ្មែរអើយក្រោកឡើងប្រយ័ត្ន​កល់ល្បិចយួន​ឈ្លានពាន លេប​យកទឹកដី ក្រោកឡើង