Bei Jiao

Born in Beijing, I graduated with an English studies degree in Beijing in 2001. Following six years with English-language publications including Beijing Today (a weekly under Beijing Youth Daily), that’s China and the South China Morning Post, I completed my postgraduate journalism study at Edinburgh Napier University in 2008.

With fresh ideas and enthusiasm, I came back to work as a reporter covering media and cultural issues with the Post in 2010. I was also briefly blogging for the China Digital Times, a bilingual news aggregator that gathers the most up-to-the-minute online news and analysis about China, while providing translations from Chinese cyberspace.

I am particularly interested in issues concerning the internet, censorship, social media platforms and civil society. I am also intrigued by human and civil rights issues on the mainland. My coverage of tainted milk activist Zhao Lianhai with my colleague won a Special Merit of Human Rights Press Awards in recognition of an outstanding contribution toward greater awareness and appreciation of human rights-related issues in 2011. I also won the Tristan Hewins Memorial Prize for drive and enthusiasm on the MSc journalism programme in Edinburgh. With Hong Kong's broader press freedoms for reporting, I have been enjoying my work in China where I keep in touch with many compassionate fellow journalists, knowledgeable scholars and determined activists, the people whom I believe offer a brighter future for my country in terms of press freedom and democracy.

Being admitted to the journalist fellowship programme with the Reuters Institute is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve my research skills and deepen my understanding of objective international journalism. I intend to explore the potential of newly emerging media tools including social networking, all of definite benefit to my future writing.