Victor EzejaThe 2023 Jefferson Fellowships kicked off in Hawaiʻi, United States on the 8th of October, 2023 with 11 seasoned journalists drawn from around the world as participants of the scholarship which will stretch until the 30th of October.
Among them is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Prime Business Africa, Dr. Marcel Mbamalu, who is the only African selected to participate in this year’s edition of the highly-coveted Fellowships.
Apart from Honolulu, the programme will also take participants on a tour of Tokyo, Fukushima, Kyoto, Japan as well as Hong Kong SAR, China – albeit virtual – under the theme: “Inequality in the U.S. and Asia: Drivers, Consequences, and Policy Responses”.
Supported by a grant from The Freeman Foundation, this initiative of The East-West Center is geared towards promoting better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue.
Prime Business Africa now brings you the biographies of all 11 participants. Happy reading!
Dr. Marcel Mbamalu
Dr Mbamalu is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Publisher of Prime Business Africa, a multimedia news organisation focusing on socio-economic and development issues in Nigeria and the rest of Africa. A seasoned journalist, Dr. Mbamalu has a wealth of experience spanning over 25 years and has established himself as a dynamic leader and prominent figure in Nigeria and Africa’s media landscape. He honed his journalism skills at The Guardian Newspaper, the flagship of the Nigerian press, rising from the ranks to the position of News Editor and briefly Deputy Editor until 2021. As a versatile journalist, he was part of the global media team that covered the 2020 United States Presidential Election. He holds a Doctorate in Journalism and Multimedia from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, an MSc in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria. Holding certifications from Bloomberg and Reuters, Dr. Mbamalu is a trained journalist and media development consultant with a strong passion for his work.
He has undertaken diverse courses and trainings both within Nigeria and internationally, covering topics such as political economy, development, journalism, and finance. Notably, he completed the Financial Journalism Training under the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa and received a Certificate in Bloomberg Markets Concepts. As the CEO of Newstide Publications Limited, he continues to showcase his exceptional skills and impact in the media industry.
Mr. Jon Viktor Dumawa Cabuenas
Cabuenas serves as a Content Producer for GMA News Online, a top online news publication in the Philippines.
He reports on business and the economy for the platform as part of his responsibilities since he joined the publication in 2015, breaking news and producing daily reports on local equities and foreign exchange.
His coverages also include the macroeconomy; economic government agencies such as the Departments of Finance (DOF), Trade and Industry (DTI), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); and conglomerates listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), among others. Under the network, he has reported on stories such as the Duterte administration’s ambitious infrastructure program, the Bangladesh bank heist, and the presidential elections in 2016, the effect of the Marawi siege on the economy in 2017, the Rappler ownership case in 2018, and the new tax regime implemented in 2019. Prior to this, he covered food, agriculture, and mining as a reporter for BusinessWorld Publishing in 2014, a leading business newspaper in the Philippines.
He attended the University of the Philippines in the mountain city of Baguio where he graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication with a major in Journalism and a minor in Broadcast Communication.
Mrs. Yuri Imamura
Director/Planner of YouTube Channel, The Asahi Shimbun Media Business Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
After working as a journalist in the Social Affairs and International Reporting departments of Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Yuri Imamura transitioned to becoming a video director, creating content for YouTube. Imamura has spent an extended period in China, where she studied and gained insights into China-Japan relations, Chinese culture, economy, and history.
Ms. Katie Johnston
Labor Reporter, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, United States,
Katie Johnston writes about work and income inequality for the Boston Globe, the largest newspaper in New England, with a focus on low-wage earners, labor issues, women, racial and ethnic divisions, and the societal impacts of wealth inequality. She also edits the Globe’s annual Top Places to Work magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of progressive employers in Massachusetts. Katie has been at the Globe since 2002, where she has also worked as a copy editor, entertainment editor, music editor, and travel reporter. Before that, she worked as an entertainment reporter and copy editor at The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and as a general assignment reporter at the Itemizer, Observer in Dallas, Oregon. She got a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1995.
Mr. Shih-Shiang Liao
News Anchor & Producer, Next TV News, Taipei, Taiwan
Shih-Shiang Liao is a news anchor and producer for Next TV News, a cross-platform media company integrating television broadcasting and internet social media in Taiwan. Before this position, Liao was a reporter in politics, foreign affairs, and the military in Next TV, Era TV, and Hakka TV for about eight years; moreover, he was an editor and a news program producer in TTV and Voice of Han radio system for three years. Liao can speak Chinese, English, Japanese, and other dialects of East Asia. Due to his multi-lingual ability, he has not only been to nations such as the U.S., China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Eswatini but abroad the USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy as well. His latest endeavor was to broadcast live the Anti-Extradition Bill Protests in Hong Kong for three months in 2019. In 2019, Liao switched his position to news anchor and producer on in-depth news reports.
Besides anchoring the late-night news from 11 pm to 1 am every day, he also hosts and produces “The Miracle of Technology in Taiwan,” broadcast weekly on Sunday. In the academic field, Liao is now a PhD candidate for biostatistics and has been a part-time statistics lecturer at National Taiwan University (NTU) since 2015. Liao holds two master’s degrees; one in Journalism from NTU, received in 2012, and another in Interdisciplinary Information from the University of Tokyo (UT), received in 2014. In addition, he also graduated from NTU with his bachelor’s degree double major in Geography and Economics as well as a minor degree in Mass Communication in 2010. During this period, Liao was the two-time recipient of the President Award for distinguished academic performance while graduating from NTU. On top of that, he also won a full-tuition scholarship from the Chen-Yung Foundation to further his studies at UT. Liao has published several books and papers. One of the books, Television News: Theory and Application, was selected as the designated textbook for communication students. Furthermore, his research themes touch on areas such as investigative reporting and ethnic communication, which have been spread via oral presentations or text publications.
Ms. Kinling Lo
China Correspondent, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong SAR
Kinling Lo is a Beijing-based correspondent for the South China Morning Post – the largest English-language newspaper in Hong Kong. Lo was born and raised in Hong Kong. She began her journalism career reporting on Hong Kong politics for two years before shifting focus to China six years ago. She specializes in the reporting of China’s foreign policy and macro-economy. Lo was sent to Washington DC in 2022 for half a year to complete a secondment as correspondent for SCMP to cover China-US relations. She graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2015 and is currently working towards getting a master’s degree in international relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Mr. Faisal Mahmud
Executive Editor, Fintech Magazine, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Faisal Mahmud is the Executive Editor of Fintech magazine. Fintech primarily prints news on banking, finance, and technologies but it also runs articles on a diverse range of topics.
Mahmud has also been working as a stringer for a number of international media and covering Bangladesh issues for them. He has been working mostly for Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Nikkei Asia (Japan). His reports were published in TRT World (Turkey), Voice of America (US), Asia Times (Hong Kong), Scroll in (India), The Wire (India), and The Diplomat (Japan).
Mahmud has decade-long experiences of working as a senior reporter for four national dailies in Bangladesh – The Independent, Dhaka Tribune, Financial Express and The Business Standard. He is the recipient of multiple journalistic awards including Progga Tobacco Control Journalism Award in 2013 and Concern Universal award for disaster reporting in 2015. He is also the recipient of a number of fellowships including a fellowship from Discourse Media of Canada to report on access to energy, a fellowship from Asian Center for Journalists to pursue Masters’ Degree in ADMU, Philippines, two fellowships from Thomson Reuters Foundation to attend IFAD’s global council in Italy and a week-long training on early childhood development reporting in India, a fellowship from Clean Energy Wire in Germany to report on Energiewende. Mahmud completed his bachelors in Computer Science and Engineering from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh and masters in communication technology from Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology. He pursued another Masters in Journalism from Ateneo De Manila University, Philippines.
Mr. Fayaz Naich
Director News & Current Affairs, Dharti TV, Karachi
Fayaz Ahmed Naich has been in journalism for 17 years. He has been associated with two Sindhi language TV stations; Sindh TV News and KTN News, on different positions such as, Director News & Current Affairs and Anchorperson. He has also worked as the Editor of Daily Jeejal, a Sindhi language daily. Currently, he is working with Dharti TV Network as an anchorperson, analyst and special correspondent. During this period, Naich has been conducting prime time talk shows under different banners on regional, national and international issues on above mentioned TV channels. He has written several articles in Sindhi newspapers and magazines on national, regional, international political and economic developments. In 2016, Naich produced 15-episode special programs on Pakistani Diaspora’s role in the U.S. Elections. In addition to this, he interviewed several mayors, city council members, city managers of different cities of New York, Texas and California states, under state departments Media-CoOp program in 2018.
He has also been a part of delegations of journalists visiting Germany in 2012 to participate in an international conference on “Federalism”, Afghanistan for a journalist exchange program and Sri Lanka to participate in regional security workshop. He is currently conducting a five day a week prime time talk show “Debate” on day-to-day developments of national, regional and international political scenarios. He’s also an IVLP alumnus. Naich was awarded the title of “Best Anchorperson of the decade” by Sindh TV Network and also received the award of “Best Anchorperson of Sindhi Language Media” by government of Sindh in 2018.
Ms. Repeka Nasiko
Senior News Reporter, The Fiji Times, Lautoka, Fiji
Repeka Nasiko began her career in journalism when she spent one year with Fijilive before she was recruited to join The Fiji Times based at one of its bureau offices located in the Western Division of the country. In November 2011, she started as a cadet reporter for The Fiji Times covering every aspect of news including business, sports, current affairs, court reporting and politics from the West office located in Fiji’s second largest city, Lautoka. Through the years she moved up the ranks within The Fiji Times newsroom to senior news reporter in 2016. In late 2021, she was given the Deputy Chief of West Bureau role, assisting Bureau Chief Anish Chand. Since taking up the role she has been assisting in the operations of the newsroom in the West office. In 2022, Nasiko was part of the Leadership Fiji Fellows program which brought together emerging leaders from various corporate bodies and enhancing their leadership skills in the Fijian context. Along with her LF2022 cohort, she completed a community project building a multi-purpose shelter for a remote community in the northern part of Fiji called Vanua Levu. Nasiko is a member of the Fiji Media Association which actively advocates press freedom in Fiji which was only recognized this year after removal of the Fiji Media Decree which was a restrictive law that affected a lot of media organisations, especially The Fiji Times. Through FMA and the Fiji Times, she has attended several seminars as a speaker to share her views on the media landscape in Fiji. Apart from the Fiji Media Association, she was also part of the founding committee of the West Media which comprised of journalists and media production experts that worked in the Western Division. Last year, the Women in Fiji Media was also established in which she is also a member.
READ ALSO: Mbamalu, Prime Business Africa Publisher, Selected For 2023 Jefferson Fellowships
Ms. Luiza Savage
Executive Editor, Growth, POLITICO, Washington, DC, USA
Luiza Ch. Savage is the executive editor for growth at POLITICO where she drives the development of new editorial products and coverage areas to serve audiences in Washington, the states and globally — including newsletters, thought leadership and multimedia formats. She oversees the audio, video, and live event content teams, and leads the expansion of key franchises across platforms. Luiza led the creation of POLITICO Canada, a cross-border policy intelligence service, and spearheaded POLITICO’s expansion north of the border. Prior to joining POLITICO, Luiza was the Washington bureau chief for Maclean’s, the national weekly news magazine of Canada. In that role, she covered several presidential elections, wrote and produced two television documentaries and was a regular commentator on television and radio. She previously worked as a reporter for three newspapers. Luiza was born in Poland and grew up in Canada. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College and a master’s degree from Yale Law School, where she was a Knight Foundation journalism fellow.
Ms. Stephanie Yang
China Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, Taipei, Taiwan
Stephanie Yang is a China Correspondent at the Los Angeles Times, which has been operating since 1881 and is one of the largest metropolitan newspapers in the U.S., with a daily readership of 1.4 million and more than 40 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly. Previously, Yang worked at The Wall Street Journal as a foreign correspondent in Taipei and Beijing. Before moving abroad, she covered metro news and financial markets in New York.
She has also worked as an associate producer and writer at CNBC. She graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
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