One is a Cambodian radio journalist who is helping her country heal its wounds inflicted by the Khmer Rouge regime more than three decades ago. The other works at a media watch organisation in Afghanistan, promoting media professionalism in the war-torn nation.

Both are the first journalists from their respective countries to be selected for the Asia Journalism Fellowship, which will have its third run from February 2011. They hope that the three-month sabbatical in Singapore will better equip them to rebuild their societies.

Aqil Zahirpour, 25, is a writer on media issues, who works for an Afghan non-government organisation, Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan. He considers the media a mediator in resolving sectarian conflicts in his country, and aims to improve his own knowledge of the profession to support journalists in his country better.

“Coming to Singapore as an Asia Journalism Fellow is a great achievement as the programme allows me to build bridges across Asia. This will help me in my endeavour to create useful media and journalism in my country,” said Zahirpour.

The first Cambodian Fellow is Chandina Chap, a 31-year-old who is known to her listeners as “the Golden Voice of Cambodia”. Working as a radio and communication manager at the Center for Justice and Reconciliation, she believes that the media play an important role in healing the emotional wounds left by the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime.

But she admits there is room for improvement, which is why she wants to develop a set of recommendations to improve media professionalism in Cambodia.

“Lessons learned from Singapore journalism will be used for achieving my aims,” said the veteran, who kicked off her career as a radio host 13 years ago. She worked for mainstream broadcast organisations before switching to NGO work.

Joining Zahirpour and Chap are 15 other journalists from all over Asia. They come from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore. They will be hosted by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Together, the Fellows will embark on an intellectual sojourn consisting of individual research projects, workshops to sharpen their professional skills, seminars to share their knowledge and experiences, and meetings with influential and interesting Singaporeans.

As with previous programmes, there will also be visits to key institutions to help Fellows understand the challenges facing Singapore and how they are being addressed.

AJF Director P N Balji said that next year’s itinerary will stand out in two ways. First, he is planning a series of meetings with Singaporeans who stand up for causes they believe in. The idea is to reveal a side of Singapore that may be missed by visitors: the contribution of Singaporeans at margins of Singapore, Inc.

“These are people who go off the beaten track, say and do daring things, and fight the system from within. We are in the process of identifying these people,” he said.

Also in the works is a conference on journalism and religion, an issue that is increasingly coming under focus in Asian societies.

“Religious intolerance and friction among communities is becoming more pronounced even as the state is allowing more freedom,” noted Associate Professor Cherian George, the administrative head of the AJF programme. “Journalism has a key role in promoting tolerance and we want to discuss how the media can be encouraged to do so without giving up their independence.”

Organisers want these Fellows to return home armed with new insights to better perform their roles as gatekeepers of information. They would also have gained a more nuanced understanding of the host country in the process.

“Scratch the surface of the Singapore that is generally known, and you are likely to be surprised by a little-known fact about the country. Our hope is that the fellows will unearth these little gems during their three months here,” added Balji.

UPDATE: Due to circumstances beyond their control, Aqil Zahirpour and two other selected journalists were unable to make it to Singapore.

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2011 Fellows

CAMBODIA
Chandina Chap

Phnom Penh

CHINA
Jun Li

Guangzhou

INDIA

Amitava Gupta
Kolkata

Jajati Karan
Bhubaneswar

INDONESIA

Agnes Winarti
Jakarta

Arba’iyah Satriani
Indonesia

MALAYSIA
Cheong Peck Beng

Petaling Jaya

NEPAL
Bhuwan Sharma

Kathmandu

PAKISTAN
Rizwana Naqvi

Karachi

PHILIPPINES

Imelda Abano
Makati

Regina Bengco
Manila

SINGAPORE
Serene Luo

Singapore

SRI LANKA
Darshana Ashoka Kumara

Colombo

VIETNAM
Nguyen Thi Minh Huong

Hanoi

In addition to individual merit as shown by professional accomplishments, the committee considered the applicants’ fit in terms of their stage of professional development, what they would gain from such a programme, as well as the value they would provide to the Fellowship. “The quality of the applicants was impressive,” said Arun Mahizhnan, Advisor to the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre and a member of the selection committee.

Added another selection committee member, former editor-in-chief of the Straits Times group Peter Lim: “I was impressed by the applicants’ range of interests beyond their day to day work. They showed that they are very thoughtful individuals who will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity that the Fellowship provides.”

The other selection committee members were AJF director P N Balji and the head of the Wee Kim Wee School journalism programme Cherian George.

The three-month Fellowship, backed by Temasek Foundation and Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School, will commence on 8 February 2010.

2010 Fellows

BANGLADESH

Md Khadimul Islam
New Age
Dhaka

BHUTAN

Chencho Wangdi
Kuensel
Thimpu

CHINA

Fan Ming
CCTV
Beijing

Shen Yuan-an
Guangzhou Daily
Guangzhou

HONG KONG

Agnes Lam
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong

INDIA

Madhumita Datta
Aajkal
Kolkata

Chanchal Pal Chauhan
Economic Times
New Delhi

INDONESIA

Feby Indirani
Business Week
Jakarta

MALAYSIA

Chee Yoke Heong
Third World Network
Kuala Lumpur

MYANMMAR

Nwet Kay Khine
Living Color Media
Yangon

NEPAL

Guna Raj Luitel
Nagarik Daily
Kathmandu

PAKISTAN

Raza Ali
Ibrat Daily
Hyderabad

PHILIPPINES

Gallardo Froilan
Mindanews
Davao.

SINGAPORE

Lyn Chan
The Straits Times
Singapore

SRILANKA

Shifan Ahmed
Young Asia Television
Colombo

THAILAND

Raksaseri Kornchanok
The Nation
Bangkok

VIETNAM

Khieu Thi Ngoc Lan
Thanh Nien Daily Newspaper
Hanoi

After spending the last 20 years building two of Singapore’s most successful newspaper start-ups, veteran editor P. N. Balji is turning his attention to professional development as the Director of the new Asia Journalism Fellowship at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Under the Fellowship, supported by Temasek Foundation, up to 15 accomplished journalists from across Asia will spend a three-month sabbatical in Singapore at NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. Fellows will be given the opportunity to pursue their own intellectual interests away from the usual deadline pressures of their jobs. The programme also includes seminars and workshops to sharpen professional skills and deepen participants’ understanding of latest trends in media and communication at a time of rapid and sweeping change.

“I still remember my fellowship with Wolfson College in Cambridge University in early 1988,” said Mr Balji, who is 59. “Twenty years later, I look back with great joy the intellectual stimulation and the networking that I took back with me. I hope the NTU fellowship will do the same for the 15 journalists who will be here for three months.”

Applications for the inaugural programme, which will run from February through April 2009, close on 15 November 2008. Details can be found at www.ajf.sg.

Mr Balji took up the appointment on 1 November, the day after he ended his term with MediaCorp, where he had been serving as Editorial Director of the company’s news operations.

“Balji is an extremely talented journalism professional who has plenty of good options in the media industry,” said the Chair of the Wee Kim Wee School, Associate Professor Benjamin Detenber. “We are delighted that he’s chosen to give back to the profession through our School.”

Mr Balji entered journalism in 1970 when he joined the Straits Times group in Malaysia as a cadet journalist for the Malay Mail. He moved to the group’s New Nation paper in Singapore the following year, rising steadily up the editorial ranks. From 1982 to 1988, he was deputy editor of the The Straits Times, the country’s national daily and the largest English-language paper in Southeast Asia.

However, it was his leadership of underdog titles that sealed his reputation as one of the sharpest news men in the business. He helped Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) launch The New Paper in 1988, serving as the deputy editor of the afternoon tabloid. As its editor from 1991 to 2000, he pushed its circulation up to the 100,000 mark.

In 2000, he embarked on an even riskier project. He joined MediaCorp to help the national broadcaster, enter the newspaper market. As its chief executive officer and editor in chief from 2000 to 2003, Mr Balji achieved with TODAY what no newspaper had done in a century: challenge the formidable Straits Times for a share of the daily morning market, and survive.

Mr Balji will continue his involvement with industry as a consultant to The Jakarta Post and to MediaCorp’s integrated advertising sales arm. His new and diversified portfolio of projects also includes recently becoming a grandfather.

Links: ‘Farewell to a veteran’, TODAY, 1 Nov 2008: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/284771.asp