Apply Now: Asia Journalism Fellowship 2024

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Applications are now open for the Asia Journalism Fellowship Programme, a joint initiative of Temasek Foundation and the Institute of Policy Studies, which is part of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

AJF has welcomed 205 Asian journalists to Singapore since 2009. The programme was hosted by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University from 2009 to 2016.

Key Elements

• Professional workshops
  • Short, intensive workshops focus on enhancing your professional capabilities. Previous workshops that were well received include integrating social media into news operations; basic photography and video for journalists; narrative journalism; data-driven journalism; and journalism in the age of fake news.
• Professional seminars
  • They hold a series of seminars for Fellows to share their experience and expertise, explain important issues affecting their societies, and describe how journalism is done in their countries. They invite experts and interested outsiders, including journalists and journalism students, to some of these.
• Visits and Briefings
  • To help Fellows get to know Singapore, the programme includes visits to various places of interest and allows Fellows to engage with leaders and decision makers of Singapore institutions and organisations, ranging from government agencies to business corporations and civil society groups.

Support

• Funding
  • Fellows will be provided with:
    • Internet Cost: Singapore Dollars Three Hundred (S$300.00) for virtual participation during the four-week virtual programme;
    • Airfare: One economy return ticket by the most direct route, including VISA costs (capped at S$50), from their home city to Singapore;
    • Local Airport Transfer: Singapore Dollars Thirty (S$30.00), from Changi Airport to serviced apartment;
    • Allowance: Stipend of Singapore Dollars Nine Hundred (S$900.00) for the period in Singapore;
• Insurance
  • It is compulsory for Fellows to purchase travel insurance for the full duration of their stay in Singapore before arriving. They will need to see a copy of Fellows’ travel insurance before they depart for Singapore.
• Accommodation
  • Free accommodation is provided in serviced apartments. Two or three Fellows share one apartment, which will have kitchen facilities. They discourage Fellows from having live-in guests to avoid inconvenience to their flatmate.
• Facilities and Resources
  • Fellows will have access to the E-Resources from NUS libraries and internet access at the serviced apartments as well as at NUS campus. Fellows will also be given licensed access to Zoom.

Expectations

• The Fellowship is a community, not an individual programme. As such, they expect every Fellow to contribute to its success by participating fully in the various activities.
• Fellows are expected to share their knowledge and experience in an appropriate way, such as by giving a presentation or being part of a panel discussion at the AJF seminars.
• They expect Fellows to keep the AJF team informed when material from the fellowship is used after the programme, in published articles, books, or radio, TV and online productions. Fellows should acknowledge TF-IPS AJF when materials from their research project are published in any form.

Eligibility Criteria

• Anyone who satisfies the following minimum criteria may apply:
  • You have at least five years of professional journalism experience. Student journalism is not included.
  • Your employers must agree in writing to allow you to participate in the Fellowship for eight weeks – four weeks online, followed by four weeks in Singapore.
  • You are comfortable in English, the working language of the AJF programme. They welcome journalists working in non-English media, but you may have to demonstrate your proficiency in English through a telephone interview.
  • Be currently working as a journalist in Asia. Freelancers are eligible if journalism is your main source of income.
  • Your employers must agree in writing to allow you to participate in the Fellowship for eight weeks – four weeks online, followed by four weeks in Singapore.
• The Fellowship is extremely competitive and, regrettably, they have to turn down many outstanding applicants each year. However, there is no “model” applicant and they aim for diversity in the participants’ professional profile and life experience.
• In general, they are looking for Fellows who have made a professional impact in their work (shown through awards and commendations, for example) and have the potential for leadership and management roles within the profession or organisation, and a passion to excel.
• You can be in any news medium – newspapers, magazines, television, radio or digital – and practising journalism through words, photos or video.
• Past Fellows include those who work for media giants in Asia’s capital cities, as well as those from provincial media and alternative media including NGO media. What matters most is that you are making a difference in your country and community and aim to do more.