10 Journalist Fellows from nine countries are joining the Reuters Institute this term

Ten journalists from around the world are joining the Reuters Institute's Journalist Fellowship Programme. The incoming cohort, arriving from four continents, represent a range of different disciplines, from investigative journalism to fact-checking and multimedia production and they cover a range of important issues including climate change, AI, human rights, refugees, misinformation and science. These 10 journalists will join our other Journalist Fellows continuing from last term in an enriching programme of seminars, events, discussions and an in-depth project relevant to them and their newsrooms. Read more about them below.

Jazmín Acuña

Co-founder and editorial director, El Surtidor
Paraguay
Sponsor: Thomson Reuters Foundation

Jazmín has been a journalist for over a decade and co-founded Paraguay’s award-winning digital news platform, El Surtidor. As editorial director of the outlet, she spearheads efforts to reach young audiences with visual journalism about climate change, gender issues, and abuses of power.

Project topic: Opportunities for trust-building with young audiences in Paraguay.

More on Jazmín's work:

• Watch Jazmin's seminar at the Reuters Institute on visual journalism
• Investigation into working in abnormal heat, El Surtidor
• Report into an environmental criminal, El Surtidor
• Jazmín's X page

Asmaa al-Omar

Freelance journalist
Syria
Sponsor: Mona Megalli

Asmaa is a journalist who has reported on human rights violations, migration, and conflict in the Middle East for publications such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian. Her investigative work focuses on refugee issues and regional corruption.

Project topic: The challenges, lessons, and support required for Syrian journalists in 2025.

More on Asmaa's work:

• 'Syrian mercenaries deploy to Russia en route to Ukrainian battlefields', New York Times
• Asmaa's work at the Financial Times
• Asmaa's X page

Masaharu Ban

Journalist
Japan
Sponsor: Nikkei

With 16 years’ experience as a journalist, Masaharu focuses on tech and investigative reporting, specialising in big tech and AI. He is interested in how powerful platforms can contribute to social good, and in how they might reshape humanity and the economy.

Project topic: How to report on big tech’s emerging news partnerships.

More on Masaharu's work:

• 'Scam Facebook ads posing as brokerages surge in Japan', Nikkei Asia
• 'Japan's Recruit Career sells job-seeker data without consent', Nikkei Asia
• Masaharu's X page

Nabila Bana

Digital Producer and Strategist, Al Jazeera English
South Africa
Sponsor: Thomson Reuters Foundation

Since getting her start documenting human stories during the Syrian war, Nabila has produced digital stories for leading newsrooms across three continents, most recently with Al Jazeera English's digital media team. Her video journalism has amassed >500 million views across various platforms.

Project topic: News for the next generation on TikTok and Instagram.

More on Nabila's work:

• 'Why South Africans and Nigerians are fighting online', video report, Al Jazeera English
• 'Israel’s weaponisation of food in Gaza', video report, Al Jazeera English
• Nabila's X page

Niko Efstathiou

Freelance journalist, author and presenter
Greece
Sponsor: European Climate Foundation

Niko is a journalist and author from Athens who has worked for various print and digital media in Greece as a journalist and managing editor. He was also a communications officer for the World Health Organization and a Google News Lab Fellow working on citizen journalism and human rights.

Project topic: Preparing journalists to report on climate migration in the EU.

More on  work:

• 'In London, the return of the Parthenon Sculptures seems all but inevitable', Ekathimerini
• '"The worst night in the history of Alexandroupolis": Testimonies from the fires', Lifo
• Niko's X page

Ngina Kirori

Special projects & investigative journalist
Kenya
Sponsor: Laudes Foundation

Ngina is an award-winning special projects and investigative reporter based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is passionate about features and in-depth investigative reports, specifically pertaining to human rights infringements and children's matters.

Project topic: Understanding the scope and skill of news for children.

More on Ngina's work:

• '#CamouflagedCrimes: Bombs And Blunders', NTV report
• '#DoctoredEvil: The secrets hidden at Sipili Hospital, Laikipia', NTV report
• Ngina's X page

Carla Miranda

Senior Editor, O Estado de S. Paulo
Brazil
Sponsor: Thomson Reuters Foundation

Carla holds a PhD in Communication and Semiotics from PUC-SP and is a Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program fellow at Columbia University. She is an experienced senior editor at O Estado de S. Paulo, specialised in multiplatform projects and in mentoring young journalists.

Project topic: News business opportunities in the generative AI landscape.

More on Carla's work:

• Video interview series on challenges in women's lives, Estadao
• Article on regulating robots in Brazil, Estadao
• Carla's X page

Sannuta Raghu

Head of AI Lab (News & Journalism) and Executive Producer, Scroll.in
India
Sponsor: Thomson Reuters Foundation

Sannuta is an award-winning Indian journalist and television producer. She heads Scroll.in's AI Lab for News and Journalism. She and her colleagues are building Factivo, a platform to repurpose text news articles into formats and interfaces that align with the information needs of users.

Project topic: How linguistic inequities in LLMs affect small newsrooms in India.

More on Sannuta's work:

• SoJo Pitch Starter Kit, custom GPT
• Eco India, Episode 193: The way we produce food today is harming the environment. Is there a fix?
• Sannuta's X page

Karen Rebelo

Deputy Editor, BOOM Live
India
Sponsor: Thomson Reuters Foundation

A journalist and fact-checking expert, Karen is interested in making sense of misinformation and disinformation in India. Her reporting falls at the intersection of generative AI and disinformation, investigating tech-facilitated online abuse and scams.

Project topic: Tracking the use of malicious voice clones in India.

More on Karen's work:

• 'India’s Generative AI election pilot shows artificial intelligence in campaigns is here to stay'. Report for the University of Texas
• 'Exclusive: Meta AI’s Text-To-Image Feature Weaponised In India To Generate Harmful Imagery', BOOM Live
• Karen's X page

Jon Kåre Time

Journalist, Morgenbladet
Norway
Sponsor: Fritt Ord

Jon is a Norwegian journalist who has worked at Morgenbladet newspaper since 2006, where he began working as book reviewer. For the past decade, he has worked in news and current affairs, primarily focusing on long-form science and ideas journalism.

Project topic: How to assess, select and interview the best expert voices.

More on Jon's work:

• Article on coronavirus researchers, Morgenbladet
• Article on Norway's gene technology committee, Morgenbladet
• Jon's X page