AJF Voices 2023

I knew very little about Southeast Asia and South Asia. After the AJF experience, I got a better understanding of Asia, and also generated many new ideas. I am sure, in the future, I will engage in in-depth reporting related to Southeast Asia and South Asia. I know that in most Asian countries now, I have trustworthy and excellent friends. After the AJF experience, I can confidently say I am a member of the Asian journalism community, sharing a bond with many other Asian journalists. I’ve had a wonderful summer. My perspectives have been broadened. More importantly, I’ve gained many friends. I love them. – Yang Nan, China

AJF enabled me to grow more and stronger in terms of creating a new community of journalists from all around Asia. These people will be my first resources and contact points for anything happens in their countries. I also got a break when it was most needed. It’s been a truly amazing experience. I got to know about a lot about Southeast Asians and East-Asians and their lifestyle, culture, news patterns and many other things. AJF bridged the gap and we are friends now. – Morshed Hassib, Bangladesh

Journalists always say: “I’m too busy.” When you say you’re busy every day, you don’t have time to reflect. AJF provides journalists the opportunity to reflect, refine their skills, discuss global issues and share the cultures and realities of journalists from different Asian countries. I will remember AJF 2023 as a time when I learned, laughed, was deeply moved, and made genuine friendships. The daily conversations with diverse friends from Southeast Asia were the most significant learning experience for me, and gave me an opportunity to reflect on my limited knowledge of Southeast Asia.- Will Won Mo Yu, South Korea

I’ll forever be a part of a network of journalists who can be my reference point for any future reporting on their respective countries. AJF helped me understand South East Asia better. Indian journalists are still Western-looking in their coverage of foreign news instead of being interested in reporting on this beautiful set of island nations whose politics and culture are so close to ours back home. It has been eye-opening visit to Singapore. I hadn’t seen such a disciplined, clean and free society like this city nation. Singapore has its own sociological problems, but it still has many good things that could be a model for bigger nations like India. – Sagar Choudhary, India

Journalism is my passion, profession, vocation, mission and purpose. It was great to be with people who see journalism the way I do. I gained knowledge and new perspectives that will undoubtedly serve me well in my future endeavors. Because of the continuous changes, challenges and opportunities in the media landscape, there is more to be done as we strive to build a better world for our profession and those who will come after us. The fellowship made me realise I cannot live in a world outside of journalism. It widened my perspectives and made me appreciate the different views, personal stories, and expertise of each Fellow and the people we met. Truly, this was a one-of-a-kind experience! – Vina Araneta-Pilapil, Philippines

AJF has opened a path for me to take my work in journalism to the next level. Networking with 15 other journalists from Asian countries has made a huge impact on all of us. It will help us deal with changes in journalism and move forward. All that we learnt during AJF has been a great experience, a great lesson for me. – Robert San, Sri Lanka

AJF made me appreciate the craft and the people in journalism more. From personal stories to professional journeys, listening to the other Fellows made me realise that journalists everywhere are the same: we all do it for the love of the profession. Forever grateful for the learnings, unlearnings and mostly the new friendships. – Sahina Shrestha, Nepal

AJF was one of the best things that happened to my career in recent times. Journalism happened to me by chance, but I stayed back by choice! AJF helped me dive deeper into the reasons why I chose to stay as a journalist! I had one of the best times of my life at AJF. Learning from esteemed mentors and intense brainstorming with some of the best journalists in Asia are lessons that will stay with me. And of course, the friendships for a lifetime! – Ami Shah, India

AJF is a unique bouquet of learning, unlearning, relearning, networking, and friendship-making. It not only opened doors to collaborative possibilities in Asia and beyond, but also enhanced my capabilities as a journalist and media entrepreneur.

Singapore has always fascinated me with its strong governance system and industrial development. AJF took me a step ahead to learn more about the country as a nation. – Shazia Mehboob, Pakistan

Being a part of AJF made me a more well-rounded and discerning journalist, with greater perspectives and insights on issues affecting Asia and beyond. It has renewed my vigour in a profession that can sometimes be exhausting but is ultimately meaningful. It sounds cliched, but it’s been eye-opening meeting, talking to and living with journalists from across the continent. It taught me new cultures and customs, but most importantly, it was great fun. We enjoyed a wide range of experiences, from the touristy to the serious and educational, and I feel like we really made the most of our time in Singapore. – Aqil Haziq Mahmud, Singapore

AJF in our hearts. I am delighted to be in a great network of journalists and editors in Asia. We had very important discussions from reinventing the destiny of journalism to the role of journalism in a divided world. Those are not easy topics but are crucial to think about. AJF will be in our hearts for many, many years to come. People come and go, some of us might not continue in journalism, but the values about harmony, diversity and inclusiveness that we discussed will still be important to us. – Hong Van, Vietnam

This programme gave me a tremendous boost of encouragement to keep being a voice for the public and serving people with the information they need. The AJF experience was beyond my imagination. I really appreciate the balance of journalism skill-enriching sessions with a programme of getting to know Singapore, with its diverse communities. The informal events such as potluck, cycling, hiking, the night tour of Geylang and eating at hawker centres, strengthened our bonds as a big AJF family. – Adhitya Ramadhan, Indonesia

Being an AJF Fellow helped me to see and understand the various issues faced by Asian journalists in different countries. We share similarities and have different perspectives, we can talk and discuss comfortably. We learn, exchange and connect with each other. The AJF fellowship is something I never experienced before, when journalists from 12 countries just came together like brothers and sisters from the first day. I learned about new cultures, food, lifestyle, languages, and the living and working conditions of each country, including Singapore. – Vienglaty Ketsattha, Cambodia

Before AJF, I was covering stories only with a Filipino lens, but now I see how issues cut across different countries, and how we journalists can work together to address them. I’m also particularly excited to see how AI can enhance journalism in the Philippines. AJF was a great break from work. You remember why you became a journalist in the first place. You go back to the very basics. But perhaps what I’ll remember most are the stories and jokes shared with the other Fellows. It didn’t matter what country or social class we came from. I’m Filipino and I grew very close to the Chinese Fellow. These are friendships for life. In fact, I’ve been invited to one Fellow’s wedding already! – Mav Gonzales, Philippines

Being a Fellow not only refreshed my knowledge of journalism, but also opened up new horizons. I gained a lot of interesting insights from media practitioners, visits to media offices and tech companies, from the other Fellows and the people at the Institute of Policy Studies and Temasek Foundation. In future, when I go somewhere, I’ll have friends. When I want to discuss something, I’ll have a partner to exchange ideas with. AJF is a foundation for those who want to pursue journalism further or believe journalism can make society better. At AJF, I not only made new friends, but also made a family – each with all their uniqueness. – Anton Septian, Indonesia