## 3 Media-Based Communication Strategies
### WOM Case Study
Reviewing comments on Mekong stories revealed that articles about extinction and biodiversity decline elicited more negative comments, while stories reporting \"positive news\" generated more positive comments. WOM also works with domestic media outlets in Cambodia, most notably with the country's most popular news website Thmey Thmey, which has over 500,000 followers. The purpose of this collaboration is to increase the knowledge, awareness, and valuation of Cambodia's natural resources among the general public of Cambodia, with a particular focus on conserving the species and ecosystems of the Lower Mekong Basin. From 2019 to 2020, WOM produced 102 stories for Thmey Thmey (many of which were also shared on the WOM Facebook page), which included fish species profiles, stories about environmental conditions, and WOM research updates (Table 3). These stories cumulatively generated 990,915 views and 71,483 likes on the Thmey Thmey website, and an additional 32,221 likes and 11,497 shares on the Thmey Thmey Facebook page. Two of the most popular stories include an appeal to fishers to release tagged fish back into the wild for research and conservation purposes, and a Khmer folktale about the small-scale mud carp (_Cirrhinus microlepis_; Table 3). Another popular story described how Cambodians were incredulous that megafishes such as the giant stingray could live in the country's freshwater environments, not just in the ocean. This story illustrates how Cambodia's threatened Mekong wonders, already under-recognized, face a greater risk of remaining unknown as they decline. Thmey Thmey benefits from the collaboration with WOM by receiving high-quality, environmentally themed content that attracts readers to their website, while the exposure has helped WOM project staff build relationships with local people. For example, project communications coordinator Chheana Chhut (paper co-author, and author of the Thmey Thmey stories) found that many vendors at fish at markets or landing sites in Kratic and Stung Treng provinces reacted angrily when he tried to photograph fish for sale without buying them, which limited opportunities to document rare fishes. However, one fish vendor in Kratic welcomed such fish photographs because the vendor had read Chhut's articles about fish species on Thmey Thmey. These fish species articles have helped elevate the profile of the unique aquatic biodiversity in Cambodia. While WOM project members' previous affiliation with National Geographic and Thmey Thmey has undoubtedly made it easier to place stories, there is also clear evidence that Mekong stories are appealing to publishers because they generate strong reader interest. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**No. **} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Publication Date**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Story Title**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Story Link**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Views**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Likes**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Shares**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Likes**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Shares**} \\ \hline
1 & 30 December 2019 & \ \begin{tabular}{c} Appeal to fishermen to release tagged \\ fish if captured \\ \end{tabular}  & \begin{tabular}{c} [[https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-866866/hcl+](https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-866866/hcl+)]([https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-866866/hcl+](https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-866866/hcl+)). \\ kkkf1 Uv4Q30, Accessed on 28 June 2021 \\ \end{tabular}  & 154,884 & 1600 & 1 & 1516 & 3490 \\ \hline
2 & 29 June 2020 & \ \begin{tabular}{c} Khmer folktanids about the small-scale \\ mud carp \\ \end{tabular}  & \begin{tabular}{c} [[https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-931756/hcl+](https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-931756/hcl+)]([https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-931756/hcl+](https://thmeythmey.com/Ppage-detail16461-931756/hcl+)). \\ uhM4R21F1c61c6M30L3 Uv4Q3C, Accessed on 28 June 2021 \\ \end{tabular}  & 106,048 & 8000 & 0 & 1600 & 568 \\ \hline
3 & 23 May 2020 & \