Young Media Leaders Fellowship
Why Apply?
The World Editors Forum Asia Chapter, the regional network in Asia for editors within the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), is bringing together some of the region’s brightest minds in the news media industry for the third edition of its programme called the Temasek Foundation Young Media Leaders Fellowship.
The aim is to nurture the next generation of media leaders who can contribute effectively to the pursuit of good journalism and build capacity in their newsrooms to meet the needs of their societies in these uncertain times.
In 2020 and 2021, the Fellowship took place successfully online amid the full-blown global COVID-19 pandemic, enabling participants to take part in the programme without interruption. It provided the Fellows much-needed leadership coaching and peer support during an unprecedented time of challenge and disruption. The leadership training they received provided an enormous boost to their morale and offered them timely strategies, confidence, reassurance and encouragement to manage crises faced in their newsrooms. This Fellowship also helps to recognise and retain experienced editors and journalists in the media industry so that they can continue to play their important role in society to combat threats posed by the proliferation of online falsehoods and spread of misinformation/disinformation.
Supporting the media industry at a time when advertising and media revenues are severely depressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and due to other factors such as digital disruption, will help nurture young, dynamic leaders who can hopefully steer the industry out of the doldrums. The industry is counting on such talent to create a strong, vibrant media ecosystem which can continue to serve society with timely, accurate news, information and analysis. If news organisations fail or flounder, misinformation and disinformation will quickly fill the void and society will suffer from the ensuing infodemic.
Hence the importance of equipping our high-potential media leaders in the region with the necessary management and leadership skills needed to navigate the twin challenges of working in the new normal and steering digital transformation in their newsrooms across operations and processes, organisational culture and business models – all critical if news organisations are to survive.
“I have already started maintaining a time diary at work, and the first two hours of my day is now used for networking with people – the ones I knew, but lost contact, and the new ones I meet. The physical office is closed for now and I have already discussed with supervisors to hold a small workshop at the office to share my ideas received from the training with my colleagues.”
“I learned about the importance and challenges in an element of “follow-up” when maintaining a relationship with people outside the organisation that I belong to. And what surprised me was that other fellow reporters across the Asian region were feeling the same.”
“I was initially worried at how the workshop would work in a Zoom setting. I’m surprised at how great it was. I felt very connected to the other fellows, to the organisers and to the trainers and speakers. I learned so much and I look forward to seeing all of you in person. Very grateful for this wonderful experience. It’s been so inspiring. Thank you so much for taking such great care of us.”
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