BANGLADESH
Jebun Nesa Alo, Special Correspondent, The Business Standard, Dhaka
Jebun covers the financial market, macro economy and aviation industry at Bangladesh’s biggest circulation business daily. In her decade-long journalism career, she has won a string of awards.
BHUTAN
Dechen Dolkar, Senior Reporter, Kuensel, Thimphu
Dechen writes for Bhutan’s national newspaper, covering the impact of government policies on communities, corruption in local politics and social injustice. She remains excited by journalism, which she regards as a catalyst for positive change, and has won awards for her work.
CHINA
Zhang Rui, Senior Editor, Tencent News, Beijing
Rui is an editor and writer at Tencent News, China’s largest online news platform. Over a decade in journalism, he has made his mark and won awards for focusing on the struggles of ordinary people, shining a light on injustices and issues affecting marginalised groups. He is driven by his admiration of resilience in the face of adversity. Memorably, in Shenzhen, he met factory workers who wrote poetry to describe their pain and impoverished lot in life.
Wei Xing, Deputy Editor, Pear Video, Shanghai
Wei Xing co-founded Pear Video, which crowdsources content from a network of citizen journalists. He runs the newsroom and is responsible for the quality of the content. Deeply concerned about misinformation, he considers fact-checking “a new form of journalism”. He founded China Fact Check, recruiting and training an online team of volunteers to spot, examine false claims and write fact-checking reports. He also published The Fact-Checking Handbook in simplified Chinese.
HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
Bonnie Chen, Business News Editor, The Standard
Bonnie runs The Standard’s business desk, reporting on financial and property news, and nurturing younger colleagues. With three master’s degrees, she also teaches journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University and is pursuing a doctorate with her research focused on climate communication. She believes the media has a significant role to play in tackling the critical issues related to climate change.
INDIA
Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta, Political Affairs Editor, The Wire, New Delhi
Ajoy’s expert knowledge of India’s complex political scene makes him an influential voice at The Wire, the highly regarded digital platform driven entirely by public donations. He leads a team of 15 journalists covering national politics and social issues across the country. Earlier, at Frontline magazine, he wrote about issues affecting the lives of Indians, including religious extremism and human rights, and covered two of the country’s most complex provinces, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
INDONESIA
Dera Menra Sijabat, Freelancer [NYT, The Economist, LA Times, Washington Post], Jakarta
Dera rose from difficult family circumstances to complete his education and start work as a reporter, where he found his calling. He has written or contributed to stories on business, politics and society that have appeared in international publications. Those who know him describe him as driven, enterprising and able to establish rapport quickly with villagers and top politicians alike.
Hendra Friana, Senior Reporter, Fortune Indonesia Magazine, Jakarta
Hendra has covered a wide range of issues, from business to human rights, floods and evictions, making his mark with in-depth narrative writing and data-driven storytelling. Those who have worked with him describe a self-starter and quick learner, with a track record for tackling complex issues that go unnoticed but matter to citizens and society.
MALAYSIA
Soon Li Wei, Feature writer, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Kuala Lumpur
Li Wei writes on a range of issues, including the environment, climate change, human rights, consumerism and lifestyle. In June 2022, she contributed to an investigative report on illegal logging and its impact on the biodiversity and indigenous community in peninsular Malaysian state of Kelantan. She has set her sights on improving BERNAMA’s climate and science reporting.
NEPAL
Anita Bhetwal, Special Correspondent, Himal Media, Kathmandu
As a teenager, Anita sold newspapers on the street in her hometown, not knowing that one day she would become a journalist writing about politics, gender issues and social affairs. She is passionate about uncovering untold stories, having seen the impact of her work on trafficked women, hungry children and Covid-19 orphans among others, gaining recognition through awards.
PAKISTAN
Sana Jamil, Digital Editor English News, Interlink Multi Media, Karachi
Sana manages three teams of journalists across three digital platforms while developing and implementing editorial and social digital strategies. She has advanced through male-dominated newsrooms in Pakistan and still encounters challenges as a senior woman in the profession. Her experiences have only made her more determined to set high standards and continue striving for excellence.
PHILIPPINES
Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Reporter, The Philippine Star, Quezon City
Marc covers the Philippine Senate and foreign affairs. He also writes human interest stories, highlighting issues and people from the LGBTQ community, marginalised women and elderly World War II sex slavery victims.
Jhen Solis, Digital Media Content Manager, Brigada Mass Media Corporation, General Santos, Mindanao
Jhen worked her way up as a television journalist, covering terrorism, bombings, kidnappings and natural disasters, and also tracked several of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao bouts overseas. Along her journey to working in digital media, she learnt to use writing, documentary films and multimedia to tell stories that make a difference, focusing on neglected issues and marginalised voices.
SINGAPORE
Nur Adilah Mahbob, Deputy News Editor, Berita Harian
An internship at Singapore’s Malay-language Berita Harian newspaper led Adilah to a scholarship and a career in journalism covering the Malay-Muslim community close-up. She now oversees daily newsroom operations, the Lifestyle section and BH Lab, a new team focused on hyperlocal stories and extending the paper’s reach through viral social media stories.
Davina Tham, Senior Journalist, CNA Digital
Davina was a Singapore foreign service officer before making the switch to journalism, first in Taiwan and then at Channel News Asia. She has covered local court stories, security and regional politics, learning on the go. A move to the manpower beat this year has opened a whole new area to explore and report.
SOUTH KOREA
Hong Jeongsoo, Staff Reporter, Dong-a ilbo, Seoul
Jeongsoo has won awards for investigative stories relating to suicide and disabilities. Her interest in complex societal issues led to writing a book on changing generational dynamics, establishing her as a thought leader in the area.
SRI LANKA
Sandun Jayawardana, Journalist, The Sunday Times
Sandun started as a newsroom translator, became fascinated by the work journalists did, went back to university to pick up a master’s degree in communications and then took the plunge. He covers social issues, politics, crime and parliament, reported on major crises in Sri Lanka, writes features with a strong human interest focus, and has won awards for his work.
VIETNAM
Huy Anh Nguyen (Han), Digital Project Manager, Vietnam Television, Hanoi
Han manages a team to produce social media content in English and Vietnamese for VTV4. They reach Vietnamese-interested audiences in over 100 countries. His expertise expanded to national social campaigns, data journalism, and digital copyright. He’s also an advocate for media literacy, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.