Fourteen journalists from across Asia have been selected to take part in the 2022 edition of the Asia Journalism Fellowship, a programme funded by Temasek Foundation and hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
The six-week programme will run from August 15 to September 23. With the Covid-19 pandemic still in our midst, this year’s edition will be conducted online for four weeks before the participants come to Singapore for two weeks
We are pleased that AJF 2022 includes the first South Korean Fellow since this annual programme began in 2009. The other participants are from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
This year’s call attracted applications from close to 60 amply qualified journalism practitioners. We hope that some who did not make it will apply again in future.
With the 13th batch of Fellows this year, the “AJF family” now has 205 members across the continent. The pandemic forced the cancellation of AJF in 2020, before the programme resumed in 2021 with an online format. With the easing of travel restrictions, we are inviting the 16 Fellows from last year to join this year’s group in Singapore for two weeks in September.
The fellowship will include media training, seminars and discussions on a variety of issues. While in Singapore, Fellows will visit places of interest and meet officials, academics, media practitioners and others.
All of us at Temasek Foundation and the Institute of Policy Studies congratulate the new Fellows, and look forward to welcoming participants of AJF 2021 and AJF 2022 to Singapore.
Thank you.
Alan John – Director, AJF
7 July 2022
2022 Fellows
BANGLADESH
Farhana Haque Nila, Senior Reporter, News Now Bangla.Com, Dhaka
Farhana is an award-winning multimedia journalist who has written about issues such as child brides, workplace sexual harassment and the mistreatment of women journalists in Bangladesh during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her interests are writing and photography.
BHUTAN
Sumitra Pradhan, Senior Producer & Presenter, Yiga Radio, Thimphu
Sumitra is a radio journalist who feels there are hard issues that do not get discussed enough in Bhutan. She uses her weekly talk show to bring attention to the mental health struggles of young people and issues facing Bhutanese women, hoping to make a difference. Her interests are reading, travelling and exploring new places.
CHINA
Hatty Liu, Managing Editor, The World of Chinese, Beijing
Leading her team at The World of Chinese, a bimonthly English-language magazine covering contemporary issues in China, Hatty has worked to make the magazine stand out for its longform journalism. Her interests are hiking, blues music and dance, and running.
Emily Tsang, Editor, Young Post, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong
Emily took charge of SCMP’s publication for students recently after several years as an energetic, award-winning reporter and news editor covering some of the city’s most memorable events in recent years. Her interests are cooking, plating food and table settings.
INDIA
Jyoti Shinoli, Senior Reporter, People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), Mumbai
Jyoti is an award-winning journalist who tells stories about people in far flung corners of India that are largely ignored, delivering close-up insights of how they are affected by deprivation, inequality and health and environmental issues. She is our first Fellow from PARI, founded by the respected journalist and Magsaysay Award winner P. Sainath.
Arunabh Saikia, Special Correspondent, Scroll.in, New Delhi
Arunabh is an engineer who became a journalist and covers politics, health and policy matters. He made his mark in investigative reporting and covering hard issues ranging from ethnic and religious conflict to disastrous government missteps during the pandemic. His interests are cricket, Scandinavian noir crime fiction and cooking.
INDONESIA
Nurni Sulaiman, Regional Correspondent, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra
Nurni has covered the range of issues from environment to refugee rights, health and politics. As regional chair of the Women Journalists Forum of Indonesia, she is involved in improving working conditions and opportunities for women journalists. A taekwondo trainer with a black belt, she also enjoys badminton, golf, reading, writing and photography.
MALAYSIA
Robin Augustin, News Editor, Free Malaysia Today, Kuala Lumpur
Robin started out in public relations before he saw the light and switched to journalism, and has not looked back. He started as a stringer for the New Straits Times before joining FMT and now drives the news, and supervises and trains reporters. He is interested in photography.
NEPAL
Mukesh Pokhrel, Freelance Journalist, Kathmandu
Mukesh has specialised in climate and environment issues over nearly two decades in journalism, covering the critical impact of climate change on Nepal. He has been described as an inspiration for his dedication to drawing attention to endangered wildlife, degradation and other environmental issues. He is interested in travelling.
PHILIPPINES
Aileen Rae Pena Perez, Social Media Manager, GMA Network Inc, Quezon City
When it comes to embracing change in journalism, Aileen shows you how. She runs a team of young journalists putting out online content, growing GMA Public Affairs’ social media following from two million to nearly 122 million across all platforms. Her interests are travelling, movies, books, music, art, and painting.
SINGAPORE
Nam Yunzhou, Political Correspondent, Lianhe Zaobao
As a correspondent covering politics and defence, Yunzhou analyses geopolitical
developments in the Asia-Pacific region and how they affect Singapore. His work has won him several accolades. Yunzhou hopes to explore social stories in the region.
SOUTH KOREA
Hong Jun Ki, Staff Writer, Chosunilbo, Seoul
Junki has reported on everything from sports and crime to transport and health. Now part of Chosunilbo’s economics desk, he covers stock markets, the Korean pension fund scheme and state investments. His interests are stock market analyses and computer games.
SRI LANKA
Namini Wijedesa, Deputy Editor (Investigations) The Sunday Times, Colombo
A multiple award-winning writer and columnist, Namini has covered politics and conflict, including Sri Lanka’s civil war and its aftermath. She leads The Sunday Times’ investigations team to produce exclusive news reports and features, and trains young journalists, hoping to inspire them to remain in the profession. Her interests are reading and writing.
VIETNAM
Phan Hong Nhung, Reporter/Sub-Editor & News Anchor, Vietnam News Agency, Hanoi
Nhung reports, edits and translates for the VNA website, and is presenter for its foreign service bulletin. She is eager to learn new skills in multimedia, step out of her comfort zone, and advance in journalism. Her interests are reading and travelling.
