Reuters Institute’s Deputy Director Meera Selva, appointed CEO of Internews Europe

Meera Selva, currently Director of the Journalism Fellowship Programme and Deputy Director at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, has just been appointed as the new CEO of Internews Europe, one of the most important non-profits supporting independent journalism and news media across the world. She will take up her new role in June.

Reuters Institute Director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen says: “We are incredibly proud that Meera has been chosen for this vital role, and happy for her and Internews, even as it is a huge loss for the institute. Meera has been an outstanding colleague who has been essential to our success. Across the Fellowship Programme, new initiatives including short courses and deep dives, and the new climate journalism network, Meera has greatly expanded our activities in terms of how many journalists we work with, in terms of our visibility, and in terms of raising the resources that enable us to do it. I am very grateful for all her work here, have learned a lot from her, and it has been a pleasure and a privilege to work together.”

Meera’s work has had a transformative effect on the institute, says Noa Landau, Deputy editor of Haaretz, member of the Reuters Institute's Advisory Board, and alumni of the Journalist Fellowship Programme. “Her unique perspective and contribution as director of the Fellowship Programme, co-founder of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, and on key issues such as newsroom diversity and media freedom are groundbreaking and inspiring. It has had a special impact on my own professional work, and on the work of many other journalists and editors across the world. Meera has been an essential part of the institute’s impressive growth and success, and I’m sure she will shine in her next exciting challenge as well.”

Alan Rusbridger, Chair of the Reuters Institute's Steering Committee, says: "Meera has been a crucial member of the team that is transforming the Reuters Institute and placing it at the heart of debates, research and solutions about the future of journalism. She has brought ideas, warmth, energy, breadth of vision and a fierce commitment to all her work at the Reuters Institute. We will miss her greatly and will watch with keen anticipation what she does next."

As she prepares to take on her new challenge, Meera Selva says: “Running the Journalist Fellowship Programme at the Reuters Institute and working with talented journalists to help them face the challenges of the industry head on has been one of the best things I have done. It’s been an absolute privilege to work with director Rasmus Nielsen, whose warmth, intellectual rigour and principled approach to leadership has made the Reuters Institute a world class institution and I am proud to have been part of it. I have worked with the best team here and I know I leave the Fellowship and the Oxford Climate Journalism Network in good hands. I am looking forward to joining Internews to continue the vital mission of supporting independent journalism worldwide.”

Read Meera's work:

• On newsroom's diversity
• On climate change
• On press freedom
• On mental health