Deadline: 07-Oct-2025
The Chevening is pleased to announce its South Asia Journalism Fellowship for mid-career journalists from South Asian countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
The Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship (SAJP) offers a unique opportunity for 20 exceptional candidates to develop the leadership skills necessary to tackle issues such as the media’s role in promoting good governance and democratic accountability in South Asia’s changing political landscapes, the challenges of misinformation, media freedom, and press independence in complex social and political environments, and the impact of digital transformation on journalism, including ethical reporting, social media influence, and audience engagement.
Fellows will learn about the ways in which the media plays a part in holding democratic processes to account, including government, the civil service, security, and the broader political system in both South Asia and the UK. The programme also provides specialised training on governance, media ethics, and political reporting focused on South Asia’s unique challenges. In addition, fellows will gain exposure to UK media practices and policy discussions through seminars, workshops, and visits to leading institutions.
The fellowship emphasises networking and collaboration, offering opportunities to build lasting connections with fellow South Asian journalists and UK media professionals that can extend beyond the fellowship itself. By engaging with both South Asian and UK contexts, participants will strengthen their capacity to address pressing challenges facing journalism today.
The duration of this fellowship is eight weeks, beginning in April and concluding in May or June. It is open to citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives who hold a postgraduate qualification or equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant area. Applicants must have at least seven years of work experience prior to applying and be mid-career journalists working in the political or economic sectors of the eligible countries.
Funding and benefits include full programme fees, living expenses for the duration of the fellowship, and return economy airfare. To be eligible, candidates must demonstrate the potential to rise to positions of leadership and influence, possess strong personal, intellectual, and interpersonal attributes, and commit to returning to their country of citizenship at the end of the fellowship. Applicants must also meet all programme-specific requirements and should not hold British or dual British citizenship, nor have received UK Government scholarship funding, including Chevening, within the last five years. Additional restrictions apply for employees or relatives of His Majesty’s Government, the British Council, or Chevening partner organisations within the last two years. Application closes on 7 October 2025.
For more information, visit Chevening.