10 Journalist Fellows from nine countries join the Reuters Institute in October 2021

Ten journalists from around the world are beginning their Journalist Fellowship at the Reuters Institute in October 2021. During their time in Oxford, they will explore the future of journalism through seminars, networking, a personal project of relevance to them, and most importantly through learning from one another's experiences, challenges and strategies to solve them. Find out more about each of our new Journalist Fellows below.

Emily Chan Miu Ling

Consultant, Radio Free Asia
Hong Kong
Sponsor: Google News Initiative

Emily Chan Miu Ling is a reporter from Hong Kong. She was Deputy Chief of the China desk of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and a senior correspondent in Beijing for over a decade. She has extensive knowledge of the political and human rights situation in Greater China and frontline experience in reporting on natural disasters. She covered riots in Xinjiang and Tibet, went to Sichuan in 2008 following the devastating earthquake, and visited Pyongyang to cover the 60th anniversary of the China-North Korea friendship treaty. She has received ten awards in Hong Kong and internationally for her reporting on human rights issues. In the newsroom, she works hard to support young journalists and shares her passion on focusing on marginal and minority group interests. Emily was a Committee Member of the Hong Kong Journalists Association which aimed at defending press freedom in Hong Kong. Emily currently works as a consultant and journalist for Radio Free Asia. She focuses on writing feature stories on human rights and political topics in China and Hong Kong.

Project topic: How can Hong Kong reporters continue covering human rights issues in China after the National Security Law?

More on Emily's work:

• Emily's Twitter page

Monica Cole

Bilingual multimedia journalist
USA
Sponsor: Columbia University

Monica Cole is a bilingual multimedia journalist. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in women's studies from the University of Michigan. Prior to becoming a journalist Monica worked in business, education and community development in the U.S. and Mexico.

Project topic: How do newsroom gender dynamics impact coverage of women in Latin America?

Claudia Cruz

Freelance digital editor
Guatemala
Sponsor: Thomson Reuters Foundation 

Claudia Cruz is a product manager with more than 20 years working at the intersection between technology and journalism. She is a digital leader of several key journalistic projects in the country including Prensa Libre, elPeriódico, Revista ContraPoder and Diario Digital. Along with my peers at Prensa Libre she became a Facebook Accelerator 2020 and Google News Initiative 2021 grantee. She is passionate about analytics and visualisations and is involved in storytelling using a variety of media. Recently, she developed an interest in business models stemming from the launch of Prensa Libre's first digital paid subscription.

Project topic: What does a successful media business look like in Central America?

More on Claudia's work:

• Claudia's Twitter page
• Prensa Libre website

Rhys Evans

Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy, BBC Wales
UK
Sponsor: BBC

Rhys is responsible for strategy, policy and editorial issues at BBC Wales. His responsibilities have encompassed the BBC Charter Review, digital archive modernisation and newsroom change. Rhys is also responsible for public affairs, which includes managing the BBC's relationship with the Welsh Parliament and politicians in Cardiff Bay and Westminster. He has worked as a journalist and a senior news leader for many years, specialising in political output. Rhys has also published widely on contemporary Welsh and British political history.

Project topic: Making news in a multi-national state.

More on Rhys's work:

• Rhys's Twitter page
• Rhys's BBC profile

Ton van der Ham

Director, reporter and presenter, Zembla
The Netherlands
Sponsor: Employer-funded - BNNVARA / NPO

Ton is a reporter/director at Zembla, a leading editorial outfit in investigative journalism in the Netherlands. He focuses on unveiling and analysing systemic issues through visually-appealing storytelling. His inquiries have led to important scoops and prestigious awards and nominations. His research into the consequences of intensive farming for more than ten years, for example, exposed how poorly citizens are protected against the risks of pesticides. His research into the government failure to combat the Q fever epidemic was awarded the most important journalistic prize in the Netherlands, while his investigation into the Dutch healthcare system and the culture of fear amongst medical professionals led to his nomination for journalist of the year in 2016. Other work nominated for awards were the documentaries about the 'Monsanto Method' and the financial arrangements of the Dutch royal family. In 2013, he wrote a book about the way in which occupational health and safety companies target sick employees.

Project topic: To what extent does contemporary government communication lead to more mistrust and cynicism and what role does journalism play in this?

More on Ton's work:

• Documentary: 'The King's Art' [YouTube]
• Documentary: 'The Chicken Experiment' [YouTube]

Klaus Knittelfelder

Political Editor, Kronen Zeitung
Austria
Sponsor: Austria Press Agency

Klaus is responsible for domestic politics at Austrian daily Kronen Zeitung and is one of a number of editors working on digitalisation processes. Before working for Kronen Zeitung in 2018, he was a political editor for two other daily newspapers in Austria, Kleine Zeitung and Kurier. In 2020 he wrote a book about the working methods and inner circle of Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Klaus has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in media management focusing on the digitalisation of political communication.

Project topic: Fare well, gatekeeper? The digital return of partisan papers and what it means for established media.

More on Klaus's work:

• Article on climate change, Kronen Zeitung
• Article on Chancellor Kurz's inner circle, Kurier
• Klaus's Twitter page

Mehraj Lone

Senior Editor, Newslaundry
India
Sponsor: Facebook Journalism Project 

Mehraj Lone is a journalist from Kashmir who writes, edits and podcasts for Newslaundry, a subscriber-funded independent digital news organisation. He previously worked for the daily Indian Express, the magazine India Today, and the news website Scroll.

Project topic: Reducing volume of content to improve quality and trust.

More on Mehraj's work:

• 'A decade of siege, bloodshed, and a revolution of the spirit in Kashmir', Newslaundry

• 'Killed, vilified, cut adrift from the national community. What’s the Indian Muslim to do?', Newslaundry

• Mehraj's other articles on from Newslaundry

• Mehraj's Twitter page

Alex Murray

Broadcast Journalist, BBC
UK
Sponsor: BBC

Alex is a broadcast journalist at the BBC who is involved in pioneering open source and user generated content at BBC News. His recent work in this area has seen him managing COVID-19 case studies.

Project topic: How can news providers, as a public service, give contributors a positive experience when talking about traumatic grief?

More on Alex's work:

• 'Coronavirus: Remembering 100 NHS and healthcare workers who have died', BBC News website

• '100,000 Deaths', Panorama, BBC One

• Alex's Twitter page

Gideon Sarpong

Director of Policy and News, iWatch Africa
Ghana
Sponsor: Fondation Botnar

Gideon is a policy analyst and media practitioner with nearly a decade of experience in policy, data and investigative journalism. He is a co-founder of iWatch Africa where he is currently the Director of Policy and News. He is an alumnus of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), Thomson Reuters Foundation, Free Press Unlimited and Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative. Gideon is a 2020/21 Policy Leader Fellow at the European University Institute, School of Transnational Governance in Florence, Italy and a Ghana Hub Lead for the Sustainable Ocean Alliance. He is also a 2020/21 Open Internet for Democracy Leader at the Center for International Media Assistance and the National Democratic Institute in Washington, DC and believes in promoting a safe, secure and inclusive digital ecosystem.

Project topic: Developing gender-inclusive guidelines and protocols to counter online abuse and harassment of journalists in West Africa.

More on Gideon's work:

• 'Stolen at sea: An investigation into illegal Chinese transhipment activities in Ghana and Nigeria', iWatch Africa

• 'How big tech’s content moderation policies could jeopardize users in authoritarian regimes', CIMA

• Gideon's Twitter page

Kirsi-Marja Takala

Product Manager, Bauer Media
Finland
Sponsor: Helsingin Sanomat Foundation 

Kirsi-Marja Takala is a production manager who creates and produces podcasts for Bauer Media's listeners and customers. She is interested in using on-demand audio for inspiring, teaching, entertaining and informing people.

Project topic: The monetisation of podcasts.

More on Kirsi-Marja's work:

• Her Twitter page