Singapore International Foundation Launches Inaugural Impact Media Fellowship for Journalists Inspired to Spark Social Change for a Better World

Singapore, 4 May 2021 – The Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) Impact Media Fellowship programme – a first of its kind in the region – marked the successful conclusion of its pilot edition on 22 April 2021. The virtual programme aimed to build capacity and promote an exchange of ideas among media professionals, publishers, and broadcasters who want to use their platforms for social change.

The seven-week programme (9 March - 22 April 2021) focused on professional training and knowledge-sharing through workshops, panel discussions, and cross-cultural exchanges. It was designed to equip participants with the skills and resources to envision and enable positive social change in their communities.

Fourteen journalists from six countries – China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam – made up the first cohort of the fellowship programme. The journalists represented various media publications including Berita Harian (Singapore), Bisnis Indonesia (Indonesia), CNA (Singapore), CGTN (China), Guangdong Radio and Television (China), Inc42 Media (India), Kompas.com (Indonesia), Lianhe Zaobao (Singapore), Liputan6.com (Indonesia), New Straits Times (Malaysia), Thanh Nien (Vietnam), The Better India (India), The Logical Indian (India), and The Straits Times (Singapore).

The journalists were nominated based on their experience and zeal in addressing pressing social and environmental issues in their home countries and abroad. The programme – moderated by media consultant and former journalist Mr Augustine Anthuvan – kicked off with an introductory session, where participants spoke about their work in the areas of social impact and the challenges they sought to address in 2021. These challenges included climate action, combating fake news, and widening support for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Bharat Nayak, from India, is the founding editor of The Logical Indian. He shared his concerns about the socio-political effects of fake news. He said: “At The Logical Indian, we run programmes for youths across the country to be critical of fake news and misinformation circulated online. As a journalist, I am personally keen to report on fake news and initiate action that I believe can make a difference.”

“I am pleased to be part of the SIF Impact Media Fellowship because it has been a useful platform for me to exchange perspectives with peers in the region and I gained new knowledge from industry experts each week.”

Singaporean participant Mr Chairul Fahmy Hussaini, Assistant to Editor at Berita Harian, said: “The SIF’s Impact Media Fellowship has been beneficial as it provided journalists the opportunity to gain better insights on pressing issues such as climate change. The Fellowship also enables us to widen our network of friends across Asia. We can learn about the latest developments in these countries first-hand and how their media mitigate various challenges to report stories. I do see the opportunity for cross-border news collaborations in future.”

Discussions during the six sessions affirmed the urgent needs of the media landscape in the region. Participants raised questions and first-hand challenges such as evaluating information amid vast data and resources, finding different ways to report on climate action, and expanding international networks for stories.

Speakers, comprising industry experts and academic researchers, shed light with critical-thinking questions and multi-faceted approaches for the participants. For example, many broached on the role of journalists to educate the public, encourage discourse, as well as to galvanise companies and governments to address social and environmental issues.

Indonesian participant Ms Duwi Setiya Ariyanti, content manager at Bisnis Indonesia, voiced her appreciation for having gained insights to a broad range of topics beyond her newsbeat. She said: “Even though I report on financial-related issues, I am personally interested in widening my perspectives in sustainable development such as building circular economies to spur environmental solutions. The SIF’s Impact Media Fellowship covered timely, relevant topics for discussion such as climate change and leveraging big data for storytelling.”

Ms Jean Tan, Executive Director of the SIF, said: “Given our work in connecting and enabling cross-border collaborations for social change, it made sense to grow the eco-system to include journalists whose stories would inspire and catalyse action. The SIF’s Impact Media Fellowship is a new programme that seeks to grow the capacity of and build networks among journalists in Asia who wish to use their platform for positive social change. In its inaugural edition, the programme focused on equipping and enabling journalists to better report on the complexities of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Fellows heard from a diverse pool of speakers from various organisations including APCO Worldwide, BBC Global News, Eco-Business, Facebook, Google News Lab, Institute of Policy Studies, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, the SIF’s Our Better World, Singapore Press Holdings, Solve Education!, and Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Interested applicants for the next edition of the SIF Impact Media Fellowship may register their interest here. You can also follow us on social media with the hashtag #SIFImpactMedia.