Rappler, JNBF grant fellowships to 12 community, int’l journalists for 2023

Rappler, in partnership with the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation, awarded fellowships to 10 Filipino community journalists and two Southeast Asian newsrooms and their chosen journalist representatives. This is the second iteration of its journalism fellowship programs since its launch in 2022.   

The fellowships aim to equip journalists with the necessary tools needed to traverse the digital age and foster collaboration in combating disinformation.

Together with #FactsFirstPH, a unique multisectoral and multilayered collaboration dedicated to fighting disinformation and holding perpetrators accountable, the fellowship program is anchored on a shared goal of building a robust community that will push back against disinformation and help facts gain a larger share of voice online.

The Aries Rufo and #FactsMatter Journalism Fellowships were offered to qualified Filipino journalists and Southeast Asian newsrooms interested in reporting about their communities (for local journalists) and how disinformation networks influence and shape narratives, and then possibly draw similarities or contrasts among their own countries (for both local and international journalists).

Four journalists from Mindanao, four from Visayas, and two from Luzon were selected for the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship awards. They are the following: 

• Lucelle Bonzo, Davao del Sur
• Ferdinand Zuasola, Davao Oriental
• Ferdinandh Cabrera, Maguindanao
• Cong Corrales, Cagayan de Oro
• Jun Aguirre, Aklan
• John Sitchon, Cebu
• Francis Allan Angelo, Iloilo
• Ricky Bautista, Samar
• Angel Dominador Castillo, Benguet
• Mari-An Santos, Manila

Two Southeast Asian journalists, together with their newsrooms, were chosen for the #FactsMatter Fellowship. 

• Chi Hong Thi Nguyen from Songkhoe Newspaper, Vietnam
• Nang Yoon Eain from Mizzima Media Group, Myanmar

The two fellowship programs will run from February until May 2023.

A series of online training sessions will be conducted by Rappler’s senior editors and other key members of its research and data teams. Serving as a starting point, the training will cover a wide range of topics, aiming to equip participants with skills and knowledge critical for journalists to have if they are to better understand and address disinformation, as well as do excellent public interest journalism. – Rappler.com