AMF Announces 2009 Fellowship Awards for Four Asian Journalists
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The Asia Media Forum (AMF) awards four fellowships to media persons from Asian countries to research/investigate an important issue in some other Asian country and write or do a television feature about it. A selection committee, after carefully scrutinising all the applications, has chosen the following fellows: • Masduki Yogyakarta, new development and personnel manager for Unisi Radio, Indonesia Both Yogyakarta and Macale will focus on the topic, 'Impunity and Flawed Rule of Law in Democratic States of South-east Asia, while Marambe will look at the status and experiences of Bhutanese refugees, and Faruq will tackle 'Inclusive Democracy: How Nepal Could Achieve It'. The selection committee appointed by the AMF comprised of Melinda de Jesus, CMFR executive director; Yubraj Ghimire, senior Nepali journalist; and Milind Kokje, AMF coordinator and senior journalist from India. The committee based their selections on the candidates' previous work experience and proposals, which describe how they wish to follow their selected subjects. The fellows will be given 1,000 pounds (1,460 U.S. dollars) each and they are expected to visit a country other than that of their residence country and research or investigate on one of the three topics given them. Expected output are printed stories or articles, or radio and television programmes in their respective broadcast networks or publications. Their work will also be published on the AMF website at www.theasiamediaforum.org. The AMF is a network created to synergise and support the efforts of the people-centric and development oriented media professionals across the Asian region. It is an alliance of, by and for media professionals, who feel the need to build a platform for interaction, shared learning and interregional cooperation to promote ethical, substantive and inclusive media in the region. The AMF is a vibrant forum of media practitioners who are committed to the issues of media freedom, human rights, social justice and democracy and are willing to contribute pro-active stories to advance the causes of the poor and marginalised people, as well as to address the issues that perpetuate poverty, injustice and human rights violations. The members of the AMF stand for human dignity, human rights, gender equity, social justice, equitable economic progress and a participatory and democratic polity. The AMF awards the fellowships with these objectives in mind. |
Aung Htun (not his real name) is one of the young video journalists featured in the award-winning feature documentary 'Burma VJ (Reporting from a Closed Country)'. 
