AJF 2025 BRIDGING CULTURES, STRENGTHENING JOURNALISM IN ASIA

From Durratul Ain Ahmad Fuad

SINGAPORE, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- 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.

Hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, in partnership with Temasek Foundation, the two-month programme ran from Sept 8 to Oct 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, during which participants attended expert-led seminars and thematic discussions, engaged with policymakers, academics, media practitioners, while also 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) in Malaysia were selected for the AJF 2025 which is 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 the experience with Bernama, Chahaya, a journalist and editor at Batam Pos in Batam, Indonesia said that AJF 2025 was her first international fellowship and described it as a truly memorable experience.

“It gave me a deeper understanding of Singapore as Batam’s close neighbour, while exploring AI roles in media, to hands-on sessions in photography, video, and narrative journalism as tools to face the challenges of today’s social media-driven era.

“Amid the rise of AI, I believe that journalism will always have a future. AI has its limits, while journalism begins with curiosity, credible sources, and the craft of transforming observations into stories. Empathy, observation, and professionalism remain at the heart of it all,” she said.

With 17 years of experience, Chahaya hopes to apply narrative journalism approach to Batam Pos’s weekly special and investigative reports, making them more data-driven, engaging, 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, India Today Group Digital senior assistant editor in New Delhi, India, Sibu Kumar described the programme as one of the most enriching experiences of his career, noting that the sessions on narrative writing gave him a completely new perspective on his work.

“It was truly inspiring to meet people from different parts of the world who share the same love and passion for storytelling.

“Meeting fellows from across Asia and learning from their experiences was deeply enriching, something I will carry with me for life. It was truly eye-opening to witness global journalistic practices, the challenges and opportunities that persist, and the ways in which the media landscape continues to evolve,” he said.

Sajana, Kantipur Publications sub-editor, in Kathmandu, Nepal said she was particularly struck by Alan’s session which compared news with fast fashion.

“Fast fashion has countless brands, each with its unique appeal and niche. People choose what speaks to them and are willing to pay for it. The same question applies to journalism -- why should people pay for news? What need does it fulfill for them? His words made me think deeply about audience engagement. The challenge now is to make journalism more personalised, meaningful, and worth people’s time and trust,” she said.

During the fellowship, she also discovered a passion for photojournalism, learning how to work creatively with light. One of her portraits was even recognised as among the best, encouraging her to take photography more seriously and further develop her skills.

“The future of journalism, I now see, lies in versatility-being able to write, take photos, shoot and edit videos, and use interactive storytelling tools. The job is expanding-I only hope our salaries grow with it,” she said. 

Theodore Jason Patrick or known as Ted, GMA Network. Inc. GMA Integrated News assistant manager in Mandaluyong City, Philippines said that the AJF 2025 allowed him to take a breather and much-needed rest while opening his mind to cross-cultural issues, concerns, and best practices that he can take home to his newsroom.

“In particular, seeing my co-fellows express the most relevant issues they face in their countries has shown me that the status in the Philippines may not be so different. This learning, I think, allowed me to explore more ways of addressing our own newsroom’s issues in delivering the news,” he said. 

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, which is hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, in partnership with Temasek Foundation.

For more information, visit https://www.ajf.sg/

-- BERNAMA