TWO journalists from the Solomon Islands were among five media professionals who recently participated in a dynamic digital training program held in Brisbane, Australia, from August 11th to 15th, 2025.
The Digital Bootcamp, hosted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Partnership with the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), aimed to enhance participants’ digital storytelling skills and build their capacity to produce high-quality content for digital platforms.
Throughout the week-long training, participants engaged in sharing newsroom experiences, interactive discussions, and hands-on sessions focused on how to effectively use digital tools and techniques in their daily work.
Representing the Solomon Islands were Loretta Manele of Island Sun and Ronald Toito’ona of In-Depth Solomons. Manele, who serves as an online editor, highlighted that the sessions covered key topics such as headline writing, feature story development for content fund projects, digital photography, and strategies for managing online platforms.
“One thing that stood out for me was the session on feature writing, especially in relation to the content fund project,” said Ms Manele.
“Soon, our reporters will be deployed to the provinces to write in-depth feature stories, so this training was very timely.”
She also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to grow professionally.
“Thank you, PACMAS, for this chance to broaden our knowledge — whether it’s improving how we manage websites, enhancing existing skills, or passing on what we’ve learned to our colleagues,” she added.
The Initiative is part of the Australian Government continuous support through PACMAS towards boosting the Solomon Islands media industry.
