Singapore: The Asia Journalism Fellowship (AJF) 2025 has served as a meaningful platform for building professional bonds and promoting regional unity among Asian journalists, especially through shared dialogue, cross-cultural exchanges, and collaborative learning experiences that transcended national boundaries.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the fellowship was hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, in partnership with Temasek Foundation. The two-month program ran from September 8 to October 31, bringing together 20 journalists from 15 countries across Asia. The fellowship began with four weeks of online engagement, followed by four weeks in-residence in Singapore, where participants attended expert-led seminars and thematic discussions, engaged with policymakers, academics, media practitioners, and visited various places of interest across the city.
Among the topics explored were the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT in journalism, narrative writing, and the responsibility of reporting stories that serve public interest. Notable speakers included Splice Media Pte Ltd co-founder Alan Soon, Professor Janet Steele from George Washington University, and CNA presenter and senior editor Steven Chia.
Two journalists from the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) were selected for the AJF 2025, including the writer herself from the Economic News Service and Wan Muhammad Aslah Wan Razali from the International News Service. They joined journalists from across Asia, including Easmin Akter (Bangladesh), Liu Min (Beijing, China), Tang Ailin (Beijing, China), Sibu Kumar Tripathi (India), Chahaya Simanjuntak (Indonesia), Mohammad Reza Maulana (Indonesia), Zhanna Shayakhmetova (Kazakhstan), Khounmixay Somphanthamit (Laos), Adiyasuren Rentsendorj (Mongolia), Yan Naing Aung (Myanmar), Sajana Baral (Nepal), Wahid Ali (Pakistan), Ralph Lawrence G. Llemit (Philippines), Theodore Jason Patrick K. Ortiz (Philippines), Taufiq Zalizan (Singapore), Rajagopal Yasiharan (Sri Lanka), Dang Hoang-Hai (Vietnam), Mai Anh Thu (Vietnam).
Sharing her experience with Bernama, Chahaya, a journalist and editor at Batam Pos in Batam, Indonesia, said that AJF 2025 was her first international fellowship and a truly memorable experience. It gave her a deeper understanding of Singapore, exploring AI roles in media, and hands-on sessions in photography, video, and narrative journalism.
With 17 years of experience, Chahaya hopes to apply a narrative journalism approach to Batam Pos’s weekly special and investigative reports, making them more data-driven and relevant to the public interest. She believes that while AI can assist, it can never replace human creativity and ideas.
Echoing Chahaya’s views, Sibu Kumar from India Today Group Digital in New Delhi, India, described the program as one of the most enriching experiences of his career. He noted that the sessions on narrative writing gave him a new perspective on his work, allowing him to meet people from different parts of the world who share a love for storytelling.
Sajana, a sub-editor at Kantipur Publications in Kathmandu, Nepal, was particularly struck by Alan’s session comparing news with fast fashion. She noted that the challenge now is to make journalism more personalized and meaningful. During the fellowship, she discovered a passion for photojournalism and was recognized for her skills in photography.
Theodore Jason Patrick, known as Ted, from GMA Network Inc. in Mandaluyong City, Philippines, said that AJF 2025 allowed him to take a breather and gain insights into cross-cultural issues that he can take back to his newsroom. He emphasized the value of learning from co-fellows and exploring ways to address newsroom issues in delivering news.
AJF 2025 is the 16th cohort, and the Fellowship network has now grown to 258 journalists. The writer is a current fellow of the 2025 cohort of the Asia Journalism Fellowship, hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, in partnership with Temasek Foundation.