Liu Min, Freelancer, Beijing

Min is a journalist and podcaster with over ten years of reporting experience. She covers environment, wildlife, gender, internet, and culture. Known for curiosity and strong communication, her long-form stories have won international awards, and she is now exploring new forms of storytelling.

Tang Ailin, Reporter, Caixin Media, Beijing

Ailin is a reporter with Caixin Media. Over the past decade, she has chased cross-border stories—from cybercrime networks to kidnappings linked to online gambling—work that earned her Caixin’s Annual Investigative Reporting Award. She follows the trail of money and influence, uncovering the entanglement of capital and political power, both domestically and across borders.

Sibu Kumar Tripathi, Senior Assistant Editor, India Today Group Digital, New Delhi

Sibu heads the Science team at India Today Digital. A space geek, he writes on Science, Environment, and Health. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award for his coverage of Joshimath sinking crisis, and a two-time winner of the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards. He has previously covered the Delhi government and written extensively on politics and city governance.

Chahaya Simanjuntak, Journalist & Editor, Batam Pos, Batam

Chahaya has 17 years’ experience covering diverse beats (news in Indonesian/Bahasa Indonesia). She now focuses on tourism and policy at the Indonesia-Singapore border. Known for integrity and impactful storytelling, she believes AI can never replace human creativity and ideas.

Mohammad Reza Maulana, Lead Editor, Tempo, Jakarta

Reza has been with Tempo, Indonesia’s leading news company, since 2005. He has covered stories from Jakarta’s slums to Papua’s marine sanctuaries, and from Euro 2012 in Ukraine to Bogor Presidential Palace. He also contributes regularly to Tempo’s editorial section.

Zhanna Shayakhmetova, Editor-in-Chief, The Astana Times, Astana

Zhanna is a seasoned journalist and Editor-in-Chief of The Astana Times. She has 10+ years of experience in media leadership, international reporting, and strategic content development, specializing in high-profile interviews, global affairs, and cross-cultural communication.

Durratul Ain Ahmad Fuad, Journalist, Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA), Kuala Lumpur

Durra writes economic news, including market reports on currency trading and the stock market. As Malaysia is the Chair for ASEAN in 2025, she also covered the ASEAN Finance Minister and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting that took place in April 2025. Beyond economics, she also writes general news.

Wan Muhammad Aslah Wan Razali, Journalist, Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA), Kuala Lumpur

Aslah is a journalist at the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) whose work bridges grassroots realities and global diplomacy. He has uncovered the struggles of Malaysia’s Orang Asli community through an acclaimed investigative series and delivered incisive coverage of ASEAN affairs, showcasing Malaysia’s role in shaping regional cooperation and international relations.

Adiyasuren Rentsendorj, Editor-in-Chief, GoGo.mn, Mongol Content LLC, Ulaanbaatar

Adiyasuren is the Editor-in-Chief of GoGo.mn, one of Mongolia’s leading news websites, and manages Yolo.mn, the country’s first dedicated platform for youth and teenagers. She has 15 years of experience in journalism. Through the Asian Journalism Fellowship (AJF) program, she aims to explore the use of artificial intelligence in digital journalism, study international best practices for combating misinformation, and examine strategies for building reader engagement and trust. Her personal interests include ballet, fine arts, tennis, pole art, and comedy.

Yan Naing Aung, Freelancer, Based in Bangkok

Yan is an award-winning independent multimedia journalist and field producer from Myanmar, now based in Thailand. He has worked with The Washington Post, Al Jazeera English, Nikkei Asia, and others, covering conflict, human rights, and democracy issues across Myanmar and the region.

Sajana Baral, Sub-Editor, Kantipur Publications, Kathmandu

Sajana is a Nepali journalist who’s been writing on issues of tech-business, digital freedom, telecom, and start-ups. As the sub-editor of Kantipur, she aspires to create more inclusive and innovative newsrooms for women and the marginalized. She likes to read and experiment with new technologies, AI tools, and storytelling.

Wahid Ali, Director News, The Centrum Media, Islamabad

Wahid is the Director News at The Centrum Media, Pakistan’s first digital news network. Having experience of more than a decade, he focused on in-depth journalism and led teams covering politics, society and human rights. Wahid is passionate about innovative storytelling and amplifying underrepresented voices through digital media.

Ralph Lawrence G. Llemit, Digital Service Head, Sunstar Publishing Inc., Davao City

Ralph is an award-winning journalist with eight years of experience covering stories that matter, from local politics to national issues. Starting at Edge Davao and later joining SunStar Davao, he has a passion for impactful storytelling, especially on environmental concerns that shape and influence communities.

Theodore Jason Patrick K. Ortiz, Assistant Manager, GMA Integrated News, GMA Network. Inc., Mandaluyong City

Ted, one of the youngest newsroom managers in GMA Network leads a team of digital journalists who produce, strategize, and distribute news on social media. Under his leadership, GMA Integrated News grew to over 98 million followers, generating billions of video views annually. He has launched award-winning campaigns on AI integration, news innovation, media resilience, and community journalism.

Taufiq Zalizan, Senior Journalist, CNA TODAY, Singapore

Taufiq began his career as a broadcast journalist covering Malay-Muslim community issues, before moving to TODAY, where he reported on court, business and politics. He has experience in breaking news, current affairs and longform features, and is always looking to learn new ways to deliver impactful stories.

Rajagopal Yasiharan, Team Head – FactSeeker, Sri Lanka Press Institute, Colombo

Yasiharan is a journalist, fact-checker, and media trainer with over 13 years of experience. Former News Editor of Tamil Mirror, he has reported extensively on parliamentary and defence affairs. He now leads the Fact-Checking Unit at the Sri Lanka Press Institute, promoting media literacy, combating disinformation, and supporting ethical journalism.

Dang Hoang-Hai, Freelancer, Hanoi

Hai covers stories on grassroots movements, culture, and the politics of memory. His work explores the sources of solidarity, mobilisation, and reconciliation in contemporary Vietnam. His reporting has appeared in Al Jazeera, the South China Morning Post, the Wall Street Journal, among others. He is now looking to expand his research and reporting across Southeast Asia.

Mai Anh Thu, TV Host & Editor, Nhan Dan Newspaper, Hanoi

Thu is a TV host, editor and journalist at Nhan Dan Newspaper, Vietnam. As a young PhD researcher in journalism, she is passionate about reimagining how mainstream media connects with Gen Z and making trusted journalism more engaging, accessible and relevant across platforms.