Jefferson Fellows at the Hawaii Agricultural Research Center

Jeffs learn about food systems, research, peace journalism
Peace journalism made its first appearance at the 2025 Jefferson Fellowships this week.

The Jefferson Fellows (Jeffs) are 12 outstanding journalists from the region who are on an East-West Center study and reporting trip to Honolulu this week, then Indonesia and Thailand the following weeks. The theme is food security.

I introduced peace journalism’s principles, then we had a robust discussion about its applicability to reporting about food security. I suggested that PJ could apply in several ways:

1. Lead discussions about solutions to food insecurity
2. No “us vs. them” (food secure vs. insecure; rich vs. poor)
3. Illuminate systemic nature of problem
4. Voice to the marginalized—Empower the food insecure to tell their stories
5. Words/Images-Empathetic, respectful
6. Offer counternarratives—No helpless victims; no individual blame; debunk myths

The Jeffs were fascinated by our field trips this week to the He’eia Fishpond (see previous post); the Hawaii Agricultural ResearchCenter; and the Wai’anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC). At the Ag Center in Kailua, they visited research plots and learned about the cultivation of cash crops like cacao and coffee. At WCCHC, the Jeffs learned about the myriad of services the center offers to its community of native Hawaiians, among whom 43% experience food insecurity. These services are provided for youth and seniors, and include an innovative food prescription program to facilitate healthier eating. These food programs offer a “beacon of hope” to the community, according to Alicia Higa, the center’s director. 

We also heard a number of informative presentations this week from University of Hawaii food researchers, state officials (food system planning), and the Hawaii Food Bank, where the Jeffs heard about the concurrent challenges the bank faces. These are an increased demand for food and a simultaneous decrease in federal and SNAP nutrition funding.

The fellows each presented a short research paper on the state of food security in their home regions (Cambodia, Hawaii/US, Indonesia, Taiwan, Mongolia, South Korea, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines).

We’re on our way now for a week of reporting in Indonesia. Stay tuned for details.

At WCCHC, learning about seedlings

 

Dr. Kawika Winter points out the traditional practices used in this taro patch.

Jefferson Fellows study food security in Honolulu
There are few themes as universal or as important as food security—the very issue 11 Jefferson Fellows from the Asia-Pacific region are discussing this week at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

These Jefferson Fellows are beginning their study and reporting tour this week in Hawaiʻi, then continuing onwards to Indonesia and Thailand later this month.

Touring the Heʻeia Fishpond

The fellowship started with a tour of the island on Sunday, then a visit Monday to the wonderfully unique and educational Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve and Heʻeia Fishpond. There, the journalists interviewed Dr. Kawika Winter, director of the research reserve, who led the group on a tour of the reserve and fishpond. The research reserve and fishpond are being restored to full productivity using native Hawaiian fish farming and agricultural production techniques. The fascinating tour included a look at a restored taro plantation, and the huge lagoon where eventually large quantities of fish will be raised and harvested.

Later this week, the Jefferson Fellows will attend several panels featuring local food security experts and tour the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Research Center and tour the Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, which has a unique food subscription program.

The Jeffs are a great group—engaged, professional, and fun-loving. I look forward to working and traveling with them in the coming weeks.

The Jefferson Fellows at the Heʻeia Fishpond. 

 

 

Call for Submissions: The Peace Journalist Magazine
The Peace Journalist, a semi-annual magazine, is seeking submissions for its December edition. Submissions should be 600-1600 words, and address peace journalism/peace media research and projects. Please also submit photos, if possible. We do not run articles about general peace projects. Instead, we’re interested only in pieces with a strong media/journalism component or angle. 

The previous edition of The Peace Journalist can be found at https://www.scribd.com/document/847295036/Peace-Journalist-April-2025 .

You may notice a change in our publication schedule. This edition had to be moved back to December to accommodate my schedule as a program coordinator at the East-West Center. I’m leading a group of journalists in October on the Jefferson Fellowships.

The deadline for submissions is Nov. 1. The magazine usually fills up quickly, so the sooner you can get your pieces in, the better. Please submit to steven.youngblood@fulbrightmail.org . 

Thank you in advance for your submissions.

Steven Youngblood
Editor, The Peace Journalist magazine

 

 

On Peace Day, worrying about a polarized US
On International Peace Day Sept. 21, my thoughts were here at home, in the U.S., where we are collectively still processing the murder of Charlie Kirk.

I think you’d be hard pressed to find any American in either political tribe who hasn't experienced powerful emotions about Kirk’s life and death the last few weeks. The emotions, powered by social and traditional media echo chambers, are the fuel for partisanship and division—the very antithesis of peace.

I’m left depressed, and wondering if there's anything remaining that can bring us together. Do the warring factions in the U.S. (and elsewhere, I might add) even want peace? Probably not, especially when conflict and war serve their selfish interests.

What’s the solution? The first step away from polarization in the U.S. begins with media literacy education that can equip media consumers with the tools to analyze and reject hate speech and partisan misinformation. Politically, it’s time for an effective third party in the middle of the political spectrum, one that eschews the rhetoric and extremism of both the right and the left. 

If we are to be a nation drowning in demagoguery, then at least let it be demagoguery for peace.

Young leaders, experienced journalists
22 Young Southeast Asian Leaders (YSEALIs) are descending upon the East-West Center in Honolulu next week for a program to study environmental resources and design projects to mitigate resource depletion and mismanagement. I’m privileged to be working with the leaders ages 20-25 during several sessions on storytelling.

Then Oct. 5, 11 regional journalists will come to Honolulu for the Jefferson Fellowships. The fellows’ study and reporting tour will journey to Indonesia and Thailand after Hawaii to report about food security.

I’ll be writing about both these initiatives in the coming days. Stay tuned.

In Palau, I met a distinguished visitor (middle, wearing pink/peach)

 
Serious fun, serious discussions at media workshops in Palau
In Palau, I was in the middle of presenting some material about social media in a conference room in the government building complex. Suddenly, the back door to the conference room flies open, a man swoops in, and begins to make his way around the table, smiling warmly and shaking hands with each of the participants in my seminar. I stood like a pillar, not sure what to make of the scene. The swooping man finally made his way to me, shook my hand, and thanked me for conducting the training. The seminar organizer then suggested that we take a picture. If I look confused in the picture, it’s because I was.

After the photo, just as quickly as he arrived, the energetic man disappeared through the rear door. When I was sure he was gone, I asked the seminar attendees, “Who was that?” This question triggered a tsunami of uproarious laughter. After a minute or so, one person composed herself enough to answer, “That was the president (Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr.)." My jaw dropped, and I responded loudly, “The PRESIDENT??!!,” precipitating more waves of laughter.

This was a fun group, though my visit to Palau had a more serious side, too. I was there working with journalists and PR/public affairs professionals discussing peace journalism, writing for social media, and combating mis and disinformation. 

At media seminar, Kokor, Palau

Among the most important things the seminars accomplished was getting journalists and PR people in the same room, discussing each other’s respective roles to play, and their common goals in disseminating credible information.

The 15 communications professionals had some interesting feedback about peace journalism. Unlike most groups I’ve taught, they were unanimous in agreeing that bloody photos of victims should never be shown, which is understandable given the small town, conservative culture here. In other countries, usually about half of the journalists say they’d show such photos under the right circumstances. The journalists also said that they need to be more self-critical, and not be as quick to “write with our emotions.”

At the end of my session, seminar convener/organizer extraordinaire Oyaol Ngirairikl led the group in a discussion about what comes next. They said they would like a more regional focus on media, perhaps by creating an organization that would facilitate cross-border exchanges and encourage an ongoing discussion of ethics--something along the lines of the Public Relations Society of America and the Society of Professional Journalists, both of which publish respected codes of ethics (SPJ, PRSA). They’re also very interested in creating a structure that encourages and support young journalists.

A meeting to brainstorm about what this organization might look like will be held this week. I was humbled by Oyaol’s invitation to take part in the discussion via Zoom. I eagerly anticipate this meeting, and can’t wait to see what comes next for my Palauan media colleagues.

One final big thanks to the sponsors of my workshops in Guam and Palau:
The East-West Center, Glimpses Media, Sentry Hospitality, Wyndham Garden Hotel Guam, Subway Restaurants, United Airlines, the University of Guam, Tumon Sands Plaza, Chili's Grill and Bar, GFS Group, the Embassy of the United States of America in Palau, the Palasia Hotel Palau, the Palau Ministry of State, Office of the President of Palau, Sam's Tours, and Surangel & Sons.

Event organizer Oyaol Ngirairikl (in white) leads a discussion at the
media workshop in Koror, Palau.