via CAAI
Wednesday, 05 January 2011 15:50 Post Staff
The most senior of our senior writers,
journalist and blogger, Tharum Bun tells Lift what we are doing well, and what we could be doing better. A little constructive criticism as a birthday. gift
How will Lift change you, the reader, as a person? is probably the most important question to ask question I should ask.
We answer Tharum’s call on page 7, and if you want to do the same, log on to angkorone.com/lift.
This was the cover of our first issue of Lift, published in January of 2010. Tharum’s article in that issue was titled, “Soldiers of Free Speech”, and it discussed the dangers of being a journalist in Cambodia.
It’s been one year since Lift came to life and I’ve had some great times contributing to the youth publication. Not only as a writer, as I am now, I also had the chance to spearhead Lift’s social networking visibility very early on in the publication. That work seemed somewhat futile at the time, but a year later Lift has more than 2,000 fans, which is no small accomplishment in Cambodia.
Many people may think that going out of our way to celebrate one year of a weekly magazine is much ado about nothing, but Lift represents more than most magazines, seeing as it is the only magazine in the country that is trying to engage young readers in quality, critical, and occasionally controversial topics.
In the past year there have been so many amazing ideas coming from its youthful team of editors and journalists. In the beginning, there was a team of three of us essentially who did all of the writing, reporting and whatever else had to be done, but I know now there are dozens of aspiring journalists who work in some capacity with Lift.
The ideas of these young journalists have become the solid foundation upon which Lift can be built, however the magazine still faces many challenges in the years to come, particularly if financial success, or expansion, are part of the magazines barometer for success.
I am honoured to be able reflect on the past year of Lift in celebration of Issue number 52.
I realise that I run the risk of hyperbole here, but if I were to compare Lift to a band, it would be the Beatles or another comparable group of young people’s who innovative approaches to their work made them stand out from the rest.
If Lift was a band playing music, then it would have to be The Beatles of 2010. From its editor down to its writers, all the staff are in their early 20s and they dare to integrate their innovative approaches into Lift, which is inserted into the main publication, The Phnom Penh Post, every Wednesday.
It has also ventured into new media by having a presence on social media sites so it can learn much more from its readers through a variety of interactions. Feedback is a valuable thing for any publication, and at Lift it is something we cherish. So please log on and send us your thoughts.
On Facebook, Lift does a lot better than its parent publication, The Phnom Penh Post. It has far more fans on its Facebook page with more than 2,000 and still counting.
Lift also took a bold step when it decided to partner Cambodia’s largest social networking site AngkorOne. The new media partnership with TEDx Phnom Penh, with a conference of great talks and innovative ideas coming in February, will add to the list of great things this youthful magazine has accomplished.
But the essence or lifeblood of Lift is its people, who work together to come up with ideas and issues that are important to Cambodian youth. Most of the writers are now going through the same experiences that a large number of Lift readers are facing because our writers and readers are in the same age group. We all struggle to do better for themselves, our families, our communities and our nation.
How will Lift change you, the reader, as a person is probably a question I should ask. I take my hat off to all my colleagues who write and our growing number of readers. May our wisdom grow together during 2011.
angkorone.com/lift or facebook.com/liftcambodia
Q: Are illegal immigrants stopping Cambodians from getting jobs?
angkorone.com/lift
angkorone.com/lift
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