The Bulletin

Stephff's world

Reporting Iran: Covering a regional crisis with global consequences

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Wednesday, 24 June, 7pm

A man stands amid ruined buildings in southern Beirut after Israeli strikes, March 12, 2026 (AFP via Getty images).

As the world watches the latest developments involving Iran, uncertainty continues to surround the future of the region. The current tensions have raised profound questions about Iran’s position in the Middle East, the future of its regional and global alliances, and the implications for trade and energy flows, particularly through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

For journalists, however, the story is also about access, risk, verification and reporting under pressure. Iran remains one of the most challenging countries in the world to cover, requiring reporters to navigate political sensitivities, security restrictions, competing narratives and the complexities of reporting from a tightly controlled environment.

Join three journalists with firsthand experience reporting from Iran and the wider region for a discussion on what it takes to cover one of the world’s most consequential and complex stories.

Karishma Vyas, Asia editor, ABC Australia, recently reported from Iran during the current crisis.

Tony Cheng, Al Jazeera Southeast Asia correspondent, recently reported from Lebanon and Jordan, covering the broader regional fallout of the conflict.

Nik Millard, BBC video journalist and producer, has covered conflicts across the Middle East for many years, including reporting assignments in Iran.

Moderated by Anneliese McAuliffe, FCCT board member, who has worked in Iran on multiple reporting assignments and covered the wider Middle East.

Members who wish to book in advance should email info@fccthai.com or call the FCCT office on 02-652-0580.

Non-members can use this link.

Members free, non-members 450 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

UNDP regional media salon with the theme: Behind the algorithm, technology, rights & environment in ASEAN‍

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Thursday, 25 June, 2026 (4pm to 7pm)

On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), we are delighted to invited you to join us as a participant at our upcoming in-person Regional Media Salon with the theme of ‘Behind the Algorithm: Technology, Rights & Environment in ASEAN’. This salon is hosted by the UNDP-EU joint action ‘Agents of Change: Youth and Media for Responsible Business Practices’, with support from Earth Journalism Network (EJN).

Who will attend:

Designed as an invite-only curated discussion, the session will convene 25-30 participants in-person, from a cross-section of stakeholder groups in the emerging tech and the Business, Human Rights and Environment space. For example, bureau chiefs, editors, foreign correspondents, investigative, business and technology journalists and key representatives from the private sector, multilateral, civil society and youth-led initiatives.

Salon theme: Behind the Algorithm: Technology, Rights & Environment in ASEAN

Behind every AI query lies a physical pipeline: energy-hungry data centres, transoceanic cables and vast subcontracted labour networks. While the emerging technology revolution promised a “green and frictionless” future, the reality is an opaque supply chain that has a visceral impact on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for communities across ASEAN. Southeast Asia acts as the central material anchor for this emerging technology boom, commanding 85% of global electronic chip and semiconductor exports while dominating the refining of AI-critical hardware components – including 99% of global gallium and 85% of silicon. The urgency of this story is underscored by the immense economic transformation unfolding across the region, with the historic discussions on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), which is slated to be the first region-wide dedicated digital economy pact.

Why should you attend?

For investigative journalists, the critical narrative lies at the intersection of tech policy, climate justice and corporate legal accountability. While frameworks like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) provide a blueprint for corporate due diligence, the gap between sustainability commitments and the on-the-ground realities remain a key investigative beat. This salon will therefore serve as a strategic newsroom briefing focused on three core outcomes:

Toolkits on deconstructing corporate due diligence: Equipping journalists with the investigative toolkits needed to analyze corporate behaviour against the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and emerging policies such as ASEAN’s DEFA and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Investigating access to remedy: Identifying systemic barriers facing local populations affected by tech-related environmental and human rights impacts and documenting the journey toward corporate accountability.

Advancing cross-border collaboration: Connecting reporters with regional experts, peers, and civil society actors to foster investigative networks that can track intersectional risks across tech supply chains.

Speakers to be confirmed shortly.

Food and beverage will be arranged for the networking reception for people who attend the event by registering for the session (before June 21). Entry is only via invite & registration. As spots are limited, we request you to confirm your interest via this form as soon as possible. If registration is full by the time you confirm, we will add your name to our waitlist and ensure we contact you in case a spot opens.

Link to register: https://forms.office.com/e/D146P5X6ih

The event will be livestreamed at this link.

Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

Nature and climate security: Reframing conservation in a changing world

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Panel discussion, Thursday, 2 July (6.30pm to 8pm)

This panel will bring together activists, practitioners and experts across the Asia-Pacific region to explore the continued relevance of nature and conservation in addressing today’s interconnected climate and security challenges. At the heart of national security and prosperity is a thriving and secure ecosystem. The threat and disproportionate impacts of biodiversity loss, however, is not limited to national borders – research shows that between 1970-2020, wildlife populations have declined by 73% worldwide.In a highly connected world, growth and increasing demands, such as food production, results in increasingly scarce resources and over-exploitation, fuelling greater conflicts within and between countries, political instability, intensified natural disasters, disease outbreaks and economic insecurity. There remains the question, however, whether environmental degradation is a driver of these threats or simply a multiplier of already existing risks. At the same time conservationists argue that catastrophising biodiversity loss threatens perceptions around the value of conservation. The Asia-Pacific region indeed has many such examples where species loss has been reverted. As we examine both perspectives and engage in a candid discussion on how to mitigate the challenges around climate change and nature loss, join us at the FCCT clubhouse to hear from:Veerawit Tianchainan, executive director, Greenpeace Southeast Asia;Juliana Masseloux, programme coordinator, Zoological Society of London – Thailand; Paritta Wangkiat, editor-in-chief, Mekong Eye.Further speakers to be confirmed.Moderator: Matthew Perkins, economic affairs officer, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division, ESCAP.The event will be open to all, with the discussion followed by a drinks reception.

This is not an FCCT event.Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

Georgia O’Keeffe: The brightness of light

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Film screening and discussion, Monday, 6 July, 7pm

Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light is a feature documentary film exploring the life and art of the most important American woman artist of the 20th century. Known as the “Mother of American Modernism,” O’Keeffe exploded on the New York art scene in the 1920s with her paintings of flowers, bones, and the beauty of nature. Nude photographs of O’Keeffe taken by her lover, Alfred Stieglitz, shocked the public and contributed to the perception that her paintings were sexually charged. In the 1970s, O’Keeffe, famously isolated in the New Mexico desert, emerged as an iconic role model for second wave feminists.From director Paul Wagner, the film (1 hour 56 mins) features music by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, narration by Hugh Dancy, and Claire Danes as the voice of Georgia O’Keeffe. Wagner is an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning independent filmmaker, whose documentaries and dramatic features have premiered at the Sundance, Toronto, Telluride, and Rotterdam film festivals. His films broadcast in the US on PBS include Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle, about the first African American labor union; Signature: George C. Wolfe, a portrait of the controversial New York theatrical writer and director; Thoroughbred, an inside look at the world of big-time horse racing, produced with Kentucky Educational Television; Good Work: Masters of the Building Arts, a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution; Out of Ireland, a sweeping history of Irish emigration to America featuring Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne; and The Stone Carvers, winner of the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary and the Emmy Award for Best Documentary Director.Wagner’s dramatic feature Windhorse was filmed secretly inside China and in Kathmandu and released theatrically, receiving awards for Best US Feature and Best Director at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. American Cinematographer Magazine recognizes Windhorse as the first digitally-shot feature film. Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, released last year, is his most recent feature-length documentary.Tom Duzanica, a friend of the director and his wife, the film's producer Ellen Wagner, will give the introduction and entertain an open discussion on the film after it is shown. This will be the only the fourth screening in the world outside of the USA and the second in Asia.

This is not an FCCT event.Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

Myanmar’s civil war: What happens next?

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Panel discussion, Wednesday, 8 July, 7pm

Myanmar's civil war has entered a critical new phase. After major battlefield setbacks in the years following the 2021 coup, the military has launched renewed counter-offensives to reclaim strategic territory, targeting vital economic trade routes and border gateways.

These shifting dynamics coincide with a significant leadership transition at the top of the military hierarchy. A newly appointed commander-in-chief has taken control after former junta leader Min Aung Hlaing stepped down from his military role to become Myanmar's president.

To unpack these developments, the FCCT will host a three-member panel examining the conflict from different perspectives:

Naing Min Khant, researcher, Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP-Myanmar), will explore the military’s internal dynamics, command structures, and operational strategies.

Thu Thu Aung, editor-in-chief, Frontier Myanmar, will outline the current state of the anti-junta resistance and assess the strategic challenges it faces.

Valeria Mongelli, an independent multimedia journalist, will present images from active conflict zones and share firsthand experiences from the front lines.

The panel will be moderated by Devjyot Ghoshal, Reuters chief correspondent for Thailand and Myanmar, and an FCCT board member.

Members who wish to book in advance should email info@fccthai.com or call the FCCT office on 02-652-0580.

Non-members can use this link.

Members free, non-members 450 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

Co-working at the FCCT

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Tuesday, 23 June, 10am

Need a change of scenery from your home office? Join us for a coworking day at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) -- a perfect space for working professionals, digital nomads and anyone looking to break free from the home-office routine.Enjoy a spacious, comfortable workspace with dedicated tables, a full restaurant, café and bar and exclusive lunch specials just for this event.Whether you're tackling deadlines or networking with like-minded professionals, this is an opportunity to be productive in a collaborative, social environment. Come work, connect, and enjoy great food because working remotely doesn’t have to mean working alone.Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

Board games night

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Tuesday, 23 June, 7pm

Join us for a chilled night of board games with The Boring Club. Try your luck with classics like chess and backgammon or modern games including Catan and Pandemic.The bar and restaurant will be open. Try our pizzas from the new pizza oven. The Boring Club meets at the FCCT clubhouse for games every Tuesday at 7pm.

Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

FCCT pub trivia

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Friday, 26 June, 7pm

Gather your friends and colleagues for a night of pub trivia at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand.

Come for a bite and a beverage and test your knowledge. 1,000 baht bar tab up for grabs for the winning team, to be redeemed on the night.

Advanced table bookings encouraged here.

Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

"As a foreign correspondent, you're
an observer"
Jonathan Head

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Dateline Bangkok podcast

Watch the full video at this link.

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