Four Journalist Fellows from Australia and South Africa join us in April 2022

Four Journalist Fellows from South Africa and Australia are joining the Reuters Institute in April 2022. They come from fields as diverse as investigative reporting, editorial technology and television news. Three of our new colleagues are from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Two of them had to postpone their fellowships because lockdowns in Australia prevented international travel. The new Journalist Fellows will take part in expert-led seminars and discussions, engage with our cutting-edge research, and undertake a project of relevance to their careers or to the news industry as a whole. The new Journalist Fellows will join a number of journalists who continue from last term. You'll find more information about each of them and their projects below. 

Simon Elvery

Editorial Developer, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australia
Sponsor: ABC

Simon is an editorial developer with a passion for exploring the intersection of technology and storytelling through the practice of journalism. He's part of the Story Lab team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation where he's worked for nine years.

Project topic: Making sense of modern tool-sets for investigative reporting

More on Simon's work:

• 'The one COVID-19 number to watch', ABC News
• 'Acting now can buy us time on climate change', ABC news
• Simon's Twitter account

Paul Farrell

Investigative Reporter, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australia
Sponsor: ABC

Paul is an investigative reporter at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship current affairs program 7.30. He's broken major national and international stories about immigration detention, big tech and human rights issues.

Project topic: Combating information security threats to journalists

More on Paul's work:

• 'The Nauru files: cache of 2,000 leaked reports reveal scale of abuse of children in Australian offshore detention', The Guardian
• 'Centrelink robodebt raised against dead disability pensioner', ABC News
• Paul's Twitter account

Paul Herman

Managing Editor, Adspace Studio, Media24
South Africa
Sponsor: Media24

Paul Herman is the Deputy News Editor for News24, managing a team of seven reporters in the coastal provinces of South Africa. Before that, he was a journalist for five years at News24 and MSN, including a two-year stint as a Parliamentary Journalist.

Project topic: How data and analytics is informing editorial decisions in the digital and subscriptions age

More on Paul's work:

• 'AG confirms 'De Lille exposed' post, shared by some DA members, is fake', News24
• 'Wife of slain train driver still waiting for compensation a year later', News24
• Paul's Twitter account

Joanna McCarthy

Deputy Editor, Victoria, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australia
Sponsor: ABC

Joanna is Victorian deputy editor at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and has been a journalist for fifteen years. Previously she was chief of staff at the ABC's Asia Pacific Newsroom and senior news producer at satirical news program The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.

Project topic: Misinformation, mistrust and the media: reporting accurately and effectively during the COVID-19 'infodemic'

More on Joanna's work:

• 'We asked about racist incidents since COVID-19 started. You offered solutions to the problem', ABC News
• 'Deadly legacy of US cluster bombs in Laos', ABC News radio report
• Joanna's Twitter account