Photojournalism students travel to Thailand

Fourteen UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media students traveled this summer to Phang Nga, Thailand, to document the effects of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Phang Nga is a southern province of Thailand on the Andaman Sea – one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami.

Associate professor Pat Davison led the project as part of a second summer session course in the school. The group arrived in Thailand on June 21 and returned to the United States on July 18.

Students were assigned stories and worked to gain access to people and places, taking photographs and collecting audio and video that will be used to create multimedia documentary stories for the project’s Web site. The site will include stories and graphics that show how the people, culture, geography and economy were affected by the tsunami and how they are recovering.

Students conferred on their assignments with professionals, who made the trip to serve as coaches and guides for the students.

The Kenan Institute Asia, a nonprofit organization with ties to UNC, is providing logistical assistance to the school through its Tsunami Recovery Project office in Khao Lak.