AAJA-Asia organizes Digital N3 Salons throughout the year to discuss important media trends and offer training to members and attendees of its annual New.Now.Next Media Conference (N3con). The Digital N3 Salons connect attendees across Asia and the U.S. — with groups gathering simultaneously at various sites that are connected via a live streaming platform.

Upcoming events:

Cross-border Reporting on Sanitation Work in Asia

Sunday, 1st October  2023, 2 pm – 4 pm JST (1 pm – 3 pm HKT/SGT )

Asian American Journalists Association(AAJA)’s Asia Chapter is pleased to announce that we will host our next N3 salon on building cross-border international collaborations on Sunday, October 1, in Tokyo as a hybrid, bilingual event.

In the first session of the two-part symposium, three award-winning journalists will discuss their experiences working together in several countries to produce a series of stories on the spread of waste-to-energy technology from Japan to Southeast Asia.

In the second session, community members and workers interviewed for the story will share their views and discuss its impacts on workers, local communities, and the environment. 

The event is co-hosted by Japan-based journalists’ cooperative Unfiltered and Institute of Global Concern at Sophia University.

Check more details and sign up here

PROGRAM

Sunday, October 1, 2 pm-3:30pm JST: Session (1) How to build a successful cross-border collaboration
Three award-winning freelance journalists will discuss how they conducted a cross-border collaboration, including the tools, methods, and strategies used. They’ll then share how they brought everything together to produce one global feature and four regional articles, published in Japanese, Indonesian, English and Thai. With:

Yosepha Pusparisa is an Indonesian journalist known for her publications on economics, environmental and social issues. She was awarded a grant by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and Resource Watch to cover the topic of forest fires in Indonesia. Additionally, she conducted extensive research on waste-to-energy technology, which was featured in an article published by Equal Times. Previously employed as a data journalist at Katadata Indonesia, she currently serves as a reporter for Kompas Daily.

Nithin Coca is a Asia-focused freelance journalist who covers politics, society, and environment, across the region. He has been awarded fellowships from the Solutions Journalism Network, The Pulitzer Center, and the International Center for Journalists, and his features have appeared in outlets in North America, Asia, and Europe, including Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, The Nation, Yale E360, China Dialogue, and Coda Story. He splits his time between California and Japan.

Nicha Wachpanich is a Bangkok based journalist. She regularly covers environmental issues such as mining and waste issues. With an interest in climate debates, she participated in Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Reporting the Energy Transition in Southeast Asia workshop and later joined Climate Tracker in 2021 to cover the UN climate conference virtually with a focus on the waste to energy. Previously worked with GreenNews, a local news agency under Thai Society of Environmental Journalists, now she’s a regular contributor for HaRDstories where she works on stories from human interest perspectives.

Sunday, October 1, 3:45 pm-5 pm JST: Session (2) Workers, Waste to Energy, and Environmental Challenges
Workers and experts in the sanitation and waste-to-energy industry will present the latest status of technological development and the complex political, social, and economic impacts around the spread of waste to energy across Asia. With:

Kabir Arora serves as the national coordinator of the Alliance of Indian Waste-pickers, actively facilitating outreach efforts of the International Alliance of Waste-pickers (IAWP) in the Asia Pacific Region. Within the IAWP, he plays a pivotal role in leading discussions related to the plastics treaty. Additionally, Arora is currently pursuing a PhD in Geography at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa. Furthermore, he holds a fellowship at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, also based at Wits.

A K M Maksud, A K M Maksud is the founder and Executive Director of Grambangla Unnayan Committee, a leading NGO in Bangladesh. Maksud is an organizer of Bangladesh Waste Picker Union and works for organizing other informal sector workers e.g. street vendors, homeworkers, construction workers, domestic workers and rishshaw pullers. Maksud obtained his Bachelor’s degree from University of London and a Master’s degree in Sociology from University of Dhaka. He is an Ashoka Fellow of Ashoka USA. He implemented 38 development projects and produced 56 research works during the last 30 years. Maksud was author of 6 research journal articles and published 3 books. He was a Member of Technical Committee of the National AIDS Committee of Bangladesh.

Jorge Emmanuel is adjunct professor of environmental science and of engineering at Silliman University in Dumaguete, Philippines and a 2016 DOST Balik Scientist. He is the author or co-author of about two dozen technical guidelines of the UN and WHO, and is the author or co-author of nine books and five book chapters. His books include UNEP’s compendium of technologies for the treatment of biohazardous waste. He received his doctorate in chemical engineering with a minor in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, and holds additional degrees and certificates in chemistry from North Carolina State University, environmental management from the University of California at Berkeley, energy technologies from Stanford University, and public health from the University of Iowa.

Shuichiro Tada is an executive chairman of the Tokyo Sanitation Workers Union. Tokyo jointed the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Public Cleaning Bureau in 1988, He has served in several key posts of the union, including deputy general secretary, vice chairman, and general secretary at the union.

Yoshikatsu Nishimura is a vice chairman of the Tokyo Sanitation Workers Union and a sanitation worker at the Tamagawa garbage disposal plant in Tokyo. He joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Public Cleaning Bureau in 1995.

MODERATORS

Eri Tamazawa is a corporate communications specialist at MSD Japan, a pharmaceutical company with its HQ based in the US, where she writes articles for the company’s social media accounts, press releases for journalists and helps organize internal/external events such as press conferences. Prior to that, she worked as a broadcast journalist at NHK based in Kyoto, covering various topics ranging from crimes, accidents, natural disasters to healthcare, local economy and international affairs. Eri graduated from Waseda University in 2019.

Mami Yoshinaga is a Tokyo-based freelance reporter covering social welfare, labor and gender issues. Before she became a freelancer, she worked as a reporter for a mainstream, statewide newspaper. She has also served as an executive president of Japan Federation of Newspaper Workers’ Unions.

Momoka Yokoyama is a Tokyo-based rotation reporter at Bloomberg. After interning at Reuters, Handelsblatt, NZZ, and Country Watch, she now covers JGB at Bloomberg. She recently graduated from Sophia University with a degree in political science.

PRACTICAL DETAILS

• DATE: October 1 (Sun.), 2pm – 5pm JST (1pm – 4pm SGT/HKT)
• VENUE: Hybrid (Sophia University in Kioicho, Chiyoda for Tokyo; Zoom viewing available)
  *A detailed address or Zoom link will be sent to registered participants by Sept. 27.
• LANGUAGE: English and Japanese with simultaneous translation
• FEE: Free ($5 donation is highly appreciated)

Check more details and sign up here

Past events: 

Tune into our Twitter Spaces to find out more about ELP Asia 2023

Sunday, April 30, 4;00 pm SGT/HKT

The Asian American Journalists Association(s Asia Chapter (AAJA-Asia) will host an online session to introduce our signature “Executive Leadership Program,” featuring four program alumni. Tune into @AAJAAsia’s Twitter Spaces at 4 pm (SST) and 5 pm (JST/KST) on Sunday, April 30, to find out more!

Guests speakers:

Bernice Sibucao is one of the youngest newsroom managers of GMA Network, the Philippines’ largest news organization. She heads the network’s first and only Digital Video and Audio Lab. She was a fellow of the first joint US-Asia cohort of AAJA’s 25th Executive Leadership Program.

Haruka Nuga is a Senior Producer and Video Journalist at the Associated Press in Tokyo. She has been at the forefront in the field to capture stories as well as lead and organize news coverage from Japan for international audiences. She started her journalism career in Hong Kong, where she grew up, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Psychology from the University of Hong Kong.

 Jeyup S Kwaak is a Seoul-based freelance reporter, focused on culture and entertainment. He is also the Seoul correspondent for Monocle covering the Korean peninsula. His works have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Billboard magazine and more.

Yunita Ong works in Growth, Insights and Operations for LinkedIn’s International Editorial team in Singapore, she partners engineering and product managers to scale LinkedIn’s news content to members around the world. She was formerly a real estate reporter at The Business Times.

If you have any questions for speakers, please submit them here. 

You don’t have to sign up, but please understand the AAJA’s code of conduct when attending the session.

After this session, AAJA-Asia’s Digital N3 Salons will take a break and resume after N3Con 2023, May 25-27, Singapore. 

Investigative & Data Journalism Powered by Machine Learning

Sat, April 15, 2023 10:00 AM GMT+9, Google Seoul office and online

This session will cover examples of machine learning based investigative & data journalism stories and live practices on two specific digital tools.

• Pinpoint: pdf, handwriting analysis, and audio transcription tool
• Cloud Auto-ML: customized machine learning model generator

Speaker

Youngjun Choi

Newslab Teaching Fellow, Google

Journalism in Singapore: Making a career in the news industry

Join us for a panel discussion with journalist Nicholas Yong (BBC) and reporter JP Ong (CNBC) on navigating the news industry in Singapore, their experiences reporting, and best practices of journalism.

The event is co-organized by Yale-NUS Writers’ Centre and the Asian American Journalists Association.

Date: Tuesday, 14 March, 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Venue: Rector’s Commons (Level 22) in Saga College within Yale-NUS College
Directions/Address: Saga College has a direct entrance, here’s also the Google Maps listing for reference at 10 College Ave West, Singapore 138609.

SPEAKERS

Nicholas Yong is a senior journalist with BBC News Online, covering the Asia-Pacific. He previously covered the general beat at Yahoo News Singapore, where he specialized in Singapore politics and long-form human interest features. Nicholas has worked across print, broadcast and digital media for the last 16 years. He is also a published author of two works of fiction.

JP Ong is currently a business reporter with CNBC Singapore. Previously, he was the finance presenter for MoneyFM 89.3 in Singapore, where he prepared and delivered half-hourly market reports covering Singaporean, Asian, European and US markets for the afternoon show “Prime Time”, and also interviewed economists, fund managers and analysts on the most pressing trends and stories shaping local and global markets. JP also worked as a business news anchor in the Philippines for Bloomberg TV Philippines.

Ask Me Anything Evening with Veteran Radio Reporter and Diversity Advocate Bob Butler

Tuesday 21st February, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Mercure Singapore Tyrwhitt’s Applause bistro

AAJA-Asia and the Singapore Press Club (SPC) invite you to an Ask Me Anything session with Bob Butler on Tuesday 21st February, from 6:30 to 8;30 pm in Singapore, at the Mercure Singapore Tyrwhitt’s Applause bistro. This is an in-person only event. 

From what it takes to be a good radio reporter and the latest trends and innovations that are changing the industry to strategies for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in your newsroom, this conversation will be moderated by Communication Advisor and MoneyFM “Saturday Mornings” Radio Show Host, Glenn van Zutphen. 

Bob Butler is a veteran reporter at KCBS Radio in San Francisco and Broadcast VP at SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). From 1979 until today, his media career spans over 40 years. An AAJA member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in the US, Butler is also an experienced diversity advocate. Through Butler Media, he provides training for the next generation of journalists, especially in Africa, and conducts research on the diversity of newsroom management. More about Bob Butler here.

• Date : Tuesday 21st February, 6:30 to 8:30 pm SGT
• Venue : Mercure Singapore Tyrwhitt’s Applause bistro, 165 Tyrwhitt Rd, #01-03 Mercure Tyrwhitt, Singapore 207569
• Tickets for the event only: Free for AAJA-Asia and SPC members ; $5 SGD for non-members
• Tickets for the event + dinner (Bento Box and 1 drink): $15 SGD for AAJA-Asia and SPC members ; $ 20 SGD for non-members

Session Moderator

Glenn van Zutphen is a career international journalist and is the founder of VanMedia Group Pte Ltd, a worldwide media consultancy. For over 14 years, he has coached more than 2,600 high-performing journalists, business leaders, and entrepreneurs around the world to deliver confident, credible, and clear communication across digital and news media platforms, and conferences. He also is the host of the “Weekend Mornings” radio show on MoneyFM 89.3, Singapore’s most trusted business news station. In 25+ years as a professional journalist, he worked in print, radio, TV, and online news based in the U.S., Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore for the likes of CNN International, CNBC Asia, NHK Japan, ABC News Radio and others.

In partnership with: 

Code of Conduct

AAJA believes that our events should be open to all members and AAJA guests. We’re committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion, as outlined in AAJA’s code of conduct.

Climate Change Reporting Panel

Saturday 4 February 2023, 9:30 to 11:30 am HKT, Bloomberg HK

Lately, it seems all anyone can talk about is the growing influx of extreme weather. All the while, wondering what steps the global community can take to mitigate risks.

The Asian American Journalists Association’s Asia Chapter (AAJA-Asia) and Bloomberg invite you to attend an in-person panel discussion on Climate Change Reporting on Saturday 4 February 2023, from 9:30 to 11:30 am HKT. 

This panel will unpack various angles of climate change reporting from green financing to the politics behind the policies. Participants and speakers will gather in-person at three different locations in Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.

VENUES

• In-person event venue: Bloomberg Office, Central, 2 Queen’s Road Central, 25/F, Cheung Kong Center, Hong Kong
• Watch Parties: Join colleagues and peers to watch the panel broadcast live and ask questions to speakers from Bloomberg Singapore and Tokyo offices
• Live broadcast: The event will also be broadcasted live online (please register to receive the link)

DATE/ TIME

• Saturday 4 February 2023, 9:30 to 11:30 am HKT

SPEAKERS

Karl Malakunas, Deputy Editor In Chief, Asia Pacific, AFP

Karl is a journalist and filmmaker who has been based in Asia for two decades. He is AFP’s Asia-Pacific Deputy-Editor-In-Chief based in Hong Kong and prior to that spent eight years as the agency’s Manila bureau chief. He has reported extensively on climate change and the environment, and drew on his experiences, contacts and knowledge of the Philippines to make the award-winning documentary DELIKADO, about land defenders risking their lives to save the forests and mountains on the island paradise of Palawan.

Sheryl Lee, ESG Reporter, Bloomberg

Sheryl is Bloomberg’s ESG reporter covering Asia. Based in Singapore, she previously reported for the Associated Press, The Straits Times and environmental news non-profit Mongabay. Sheryl is a graduate of Nanyang Technological University, with degrees in Accountancy and Business Analytics.

Joydeep Gupta, South Asia Director, The Third Pole.

South Asia Director of The Third Pole and India Coordinator of the Earth Journalism Network,
Joydeep Gupta writes, commissions and edits articles on climate change, water, biodiversity,
pollution and sustainable development. He also trains environmental journalists. He has a Master’s degree in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management from the University of York (UK).

Nithin Coca, freelance journalist and researcher

Nithin Coca is a Asia-focused freelance journalist who covers climate, environment, and supply chains across the region. He has been awarded fellowships from The Pulitzer Center, the International Center for Journalists, the Solutions Journalism Network, and the Earth Journalism Network, and his reporting has appeared in outlets in North America, Asia, and Europe, including Financial Times, BBC Future, Mongabay, Nikkei Asia, Yale E360, China Dialogue, The Nation and Engadget.

Eric Wishart, Standards and Ethics Editor, AFP (Moderator)

Eric Wishart is standards and ethics editor, and former editor-in-chief, of the international news agency AFP. He teaches journalism at Hong Kong University and Hong Kong Baptist University; is a judge for the Hong Kong News Awards; and a member of the SPJ’s Professional Standards and Ethics Committee.

Mastodon Tutorial For Journalists

Wednesday 11 January, 8:00 to 9:00 pm HKT/SGT

Mastodon is the hot social media platform that journalists (and many others) are fleeing to, now that the great #TwitterMigration is accelerating.

AAJA-Asia invites you to attend a free online workshop that will help you get started with the best possible chance of success on this strange, but very robust new platform. It only takes a few minutes if you follow the right steps in order.

The workshop will take place online on Wednesday 11 January, from 8:00 to 9:00 pm HKT.

Participants in the workshop will also receive an invitation to join the newsie.social server on Mastodon, a server run by journalists, for journalists, and administrated by Jeff Brown at fourthestate.org.

Speakers
– Robb Montgomery, CEO, Visual Editors
– W. Jeffrey Brown, Founder / Executive Chairman @ Fourth Estate®

Watch the session’s video here

Sharing Asia Diversity Stories

Saturday 20 November 2021

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm SGT/HKT

Diversity, equity and inclusion are essential values that are increasingly gaining visibility, especially in large corporations in Europe and the US. But what do they specifically mean for the news industry in Asia? What communities are systematically stigmatized, misrepresented or underrepresented, if not completely ignored in your country’s media? How does this affect news coverage across the Asia Pacific region and the career of journalists belonging to these communities? What initiatives have been or should be launched for improving the representation of minorities in Asia newsrooms and news content?

Join us online on Saturday 20 November and share your views and experiences!

With the support of the Facebook Journalism Project and media partners in seven APAC markets, The Asian American Journalists Association’s Asia Chapter (AAJA-Asia) has launched an ambitious project for Advancing News Diversity in Asia (ANDA). Following the celebration of focus group discussions involving 38 media outlets and the release of a diversity survey – that journalists working in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, S.Korea, The Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan are still warmly welcome to complete here – AAJA-Asia has just announced the launch of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Reporting Fellowships. 

In this Digital Salon, we will share insights from the ANDA Project’s focus groups. We also want to hear from you what diversity stories the fellowship should cover. And, if you would like to write about diversity and are considering applying for a fellowship, we will gladly present this initiative more in detail and answer any questions you may have.

Speakers

Hui Yee Tan is the Indochina Bureau Chief of The Straits Times, covering Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The Bangkok-based Singaporean specializes in explanatory reporting and sees the good it brings to communities.

Ryan Macasero is a 32-year-old Filipino American and currently heads Rappler’s Visayas bureau in Cebu City. He graduated from California State University, East Bay, in 2012 and moved to the Philippines in 2013.

K. Oanh Ha is a senior reporter at Bloomberg News in Hong Kong covering business stories in the Asia region. She joined the news organization in 2010 as Vietnam bureau chief and has also served as an editor overseeing coverage of Asia consumer and health news. Before joining Bloomberg, she worked as a host and reporter for KQED Public Radio in San Francisco on its nationally-syndicated program, Pacific Time, examining the connections between Asia, the U.S. and Asian American issues. She’s also reported for the San Jose Mercury News. She was born in Vietnam and grew up in California.

Gilles Demptos is the Director for Asia Pacific of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). Prior to joining this organization, Gilles has worked at advancing press freedom and the sustainability of quality, independent journalism for over 15 years at WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News publishers, in particular as Director of Asia between 2014 and 2018. More recently, Gilles was heading Public Policy and Government Affairs APAC for the news and media industries at Google. Gilles is also the executive Director of AAJA-Asia’s Advancing News Diversity in Asia (ANDA) project. 

Blockchain technology – which powers cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which allows for building decentralized applications – holds promise for developing a sustainable journalism eco-system. During this two-session online workshop, we will outline the path from pre-Bitcoin computer science breakthroughs to Bitcoin and using blockchain to store important metadata that journalists and media companies use daily and securely store and edit through a blockchain.

Whether you are a journalist building for the future of newsrooms via blockchain technology or a curious enthusiast making sense of the hype, this workshop will help you understand why blockchain technology being a great news coordination tool for journalists in general, approaching blockchain from the viewpoint of why it has the impact it has on newsrooms.  

PROGRAM:

• Civil, in partnership with Forbes and Kinzen
• User-generated news agencies London-based Mogul and Netherland-based Nwzer 
• EU-financed Content Personalisation Network

Special Session for Students in Journalism

Saturday 11 Sept 2021, 4:00 to 5:00 pm SGT 

Start Your News Channel on TikTok

Saturday, Feb 27 2021, 9:30 AM HKT/SGT (Friday, 26 Feb, 8:30 pm ET)

News publications and independent journalists are increasingly using TikTok to promote their content and reach out to younger audiences. But finding the right news style, that fits both with your brand and the audience you intend to engage with is certainly trickier than posting a Renegade dance video!

Julia Munslow is a special projects editor at Yahoo News in New York. She works on a variety of projects, including newsletters on coronavirus and on politics, managing the Yahoo News TikTok account, Gen Z content strategy across Verizon Media Group and social trends reporting.

In this upcoming, free AAJA-Asia Digital Salon, Julia will share Do’s and Don’ts about publishing news-related content on TikTok.

Session moderator: Chiew Farn Chung, CEO and Founder, Classdo (Singapore / Tokyo)

Reporting on Covid-19 in China, Then Getting Expelled

Journalists from Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times discuss their reportage and experiences on January 8, 2021, 8:00 am HKT

AAJA-NY presents this virtual talk with The Wall Street Journal’s Shan Li, Stephanie Yang and Chao Deng ; The New York Times’ Amy Qin and The Washington Post’s Gerry Shih in a joint event with AAJA-DC and AAJA At Large.

Shan, Stephanie, Chao and Amy reported from the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, including under quarantine. Gerry was reporting around southern China and unable to enter Hubei at the time. All five American journalists were among a dozen caught in the tit for tat between China and the United States, resulting in their expulsion from China in March.

Today, Stephanie and Shan are based in New York, although they will be heading to Asia this month. Chao, Amy and Gerry are in Taipei.

Moderating the discussion, which will be off-the-record and not recorded, will be Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author Mei Fong.

The talk will center on their professional and personal experiences navigating what began as a mysterious illness and its spread, then having to pack up and leave the country in the midst of one of the biggest stories of our lifetimes.

Stephanie Yang is a Wall Street Journal reporter covering the coronavirus, transit, real estate and all things New York City. She was previously based in the Beijing bureau where she covered business and entrepreneurs in China along with natural resources and the economy.

Shan Li is also reporting on Greater New York as well as politics and features for The Wall Street Journal. She was also based in the Beijing bureau where she reported on China’s tech giants and previously covered retail and the restaurant industries for the Los Angeles Times.

Chao Deng has written about the Chinese economy, finance and trade and was based in Beijing for The Wall Street Journal. Her expulsion from China occurred while she was in the coronavirus containment zone in Wuhan.

Amy Qin is a China correspondent for the New York Times covering culture, politics and society. She was based in Beijing for eight years, reporting on stories ranging from antigovernment protests in Hong Kong to China’s crackdown on Uighurs in Xinjiang, a series for which her team was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020.

Gerry Shih is the Washington Post’s interim Beijing bureau chief and will be India bureau chief in June. He has covered China for six years. He won the Asia Society’s 2020 Osborn Elliott Prize; the previous year he was part of the Associated Press team that won the prize.

Mei Fong, the moderator, is author of “One Child” and is director of communications and strategy for the Center for Public Integrity in Washington. While a China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, she was on the Pulitzer-Prize winning team for international reporting.

Stephanie Yang, left, and Shan Li preparing to board different evacuation flights out of Wuhan in February — for the United States. They’d return to China and then would be expelled the following month. (Stephanie Yang/The Wall Street Journal)

The Future of Tech and Finance in Asia

Saturday 12  December 2020, from 09:30 am to 10:30 am SGT/HKT

Xi Jinping has ramped up his assertion that technology will be a key growth engine for China. Yet it’s facing a myriad of conundrums: on the one hand, Chinese tech giants are seeking to expand internationally through 5G and e-commerce platforms; on the other hand, the new Chinese anti-monopoly trust laws will seek to reign in Chinese tech companies like never before.

This panel will explore the impacts the new anti-monopoly laws will have on Chinese tech monopoly companies like Alibaba, Tencent and Meituan in Southeast Asia, where Chinese tech is rapidly dominating.

Key discussion points will include:

• How does China’s rapidly expanding presence in the region mesh with Asian countries growing political weariness of the middle kingdom’s wolf warrior diplomacy?
• What are possible tech pressure points that you’re looking out for as the region toggles between the rivalry of the US and China?
• What do the new anti-monopoly laws mean for Chinese tech giants?

Moderator: 

Kenan Machado is an editor and writer with more than 15 years of experience in journalism. He heads investment coverage for the Asian Private Banker in Hong Kong, having moved from Singapore-based Tech in Asia where he covered the technology industry in the region.

Kenan spent close to a decade at The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones in Hong Kong and India where responsibilities included covering Asian and global markets. Prior stints include being an on-air reporter with CNBC and covering US-listed companies at Reuters. Kenan was the only reporter, and civilian, with the federal special forces team that dealt with the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India. He also tracked down and interviewed the India-based family members of the Islamic State in Iraq.

Confirmed Speakers:

Xiaomeng Lu is a senior analyst in Eurasia Group’s geo-technology practice with a focus on the interactions of emerging technologies with geopolitics, market dynamics, and regulatory norms. She provides in-depth analysis on key policy issues such as cybersecurity, data protection, artificial intelligence, internet governance, 5G, and trade. Before joining Eurasia Group, Xiaomeng was the China practice lead at consulting firm Access Partnership. In this capacity, she helped top financial and cloud service providers of the US enter China’s market amid the trade war between the two countries. She also played a key role in establishing and expanding the company’s first office in Asia, which generated over $1 million in revenue in three years. Xiaomeng has a master’s degree in international trade policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Renmin University of China.

Elliott Zaagman is co-host of the China Tech Investor Podcast. He is a researcher and consultant focusing on Chinese technology companies and their growth, PR, IR, and leadership strategies.

Watch the session here

CV Workshop for Young Journalists

Saturday 24 October 2020, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm SGT/HKT

Preparing your CV can be a daunting task. Yet, whether it is for applying for an internship or a first job, a well written CV, in line with the APAC news industry’s best practices, can make a decisive difference. If you want to stand out, improve your job searching skills and increase your chances of working as a professional journalist, this workshop is for you!

Programme:

The workshop will go through the basics of setting up your journalist resume:

• Best layout options
• Wordings that work
• Developing and tailoring your profesional profile
• Highlighting the best parts of your work
• Typical errors to avoid in CV writing
• Review and feedback

Geared towards students and early career journalists, this interactive session will include personalized advice, tips and techniques to help you make the most of your next identified opportunity.

Workshop leader: 

Rebecca Isjwara is a reporter with S&P Global Market Intelligence, covering banking and financial services in APAC. She is a co-host of the AAJA-Asia podcast, a series of interviews accompanying N3Con.

Rebecca holds a BBA in Global Business and Finance from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and is currently serving as the co-vice president for the Hong Kong subchapter of AAJA-Asia.

Watch the session here

Trauma Awareness and Resilience: What every Reporter Needs to Know!

Saturday 11 July 2020, from 11:30 to 1:00 pm (SG/HK time)

Improving crisis reporting and protecting journalists have never been more important than during the Covid-19 pandemic. As we carry out the vital mission of informing citizens and holding leaders accountable, journalists frequently bear witness to human suffering, whether covering mass disasters or individual atrocities. Journalists are also sometimes the direct targets of violence and harassment which can affect health and well-being.

While research suggests that at least 80% of journalists have been exposed to a traumatic event while carrying out their work, few have been trained to protect themselves of such exposure and its aftermath.

This session will explore the impact of trauma on journalists and newsrooms. It will equip you with simple approaches to peers and colleagues and management tactics for dealing with trauma exposure.

The training will cover:

• How to monitor how staff are holding up; building resilience in the face of undertaking very difficult stories
• Monitoring colleagues and staff when covering traumatic events
• Mitigating the impact of traumatic events
• Newsroom planning and protocols before, during and after traumatic events.

Workshop leader: 

Cait McMahon OAM, PhD is a registered psychologist and the founding managing director of Dart Centre Asia Pacific since 2003. Dart Asia Pacific has its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia and holds trainings and other programs throughout the Asia Pacific region. McMahon has been interested in the nexus of journalism and trauma since working as staff counsellor at The Age newspaper in Melbourne in the mid 1980’s and 90’s. This interest pushed her to pursue postgraduate research on trauma exposed journalists in 1993 with subsequent publications. Her PhD focused on Australian trauma reporting journalists, post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth. Cait has received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), one of Australia’s highest civil accolades, for her work with journalists and trauma.

Established in 1999, the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma provides resources, training and thought leadership on covering violence, tragedy and crisis. The Dart Center is recognized as a world leader in evidence-based trauma-awareness and support programs for journalists, as well as in advancing innovative, ethical reporting on survivors of traumatic events.

Watch the session here

Why Diversity Matters Now and What You Can Do About It

Saturday 30 May 2020, from 09:00 am to 11:30 am (SG/HK time).

Up next in our N3 Digital Salon series:

• Using Data to Find Impactful Coronavirus Stories and
• Why Diversity Matters Now and What You Can Do About It

Want to find impactful stories about the coronavirus pandemic and bring in new readers? AAJA-Asia’s lead trainer, Kuek Ser Kuang Keng will show us the hidden stories in international Covid-19 datasets available publicly. He’ll also take us through some of the most impressive data journalism projects produced by Asia colleagues this year.

Before diving into Keng’s in-depth workshop, two special guests from the U.S. are joining us! We’ll be welcoming OpenNews’ Erika Owens and Sisi Wei on how news organizations can build communities focused on journalism & tech that are inclusive and support critical news projects.

PROGRAM

09:00 – 10:00 – Why Diversity Matters Now and What You Can Do About It?

A conversation with OpenNews about  how to create a journalism industry that is not only more tech savvy but also more inclusive and equitable. Founded in 2011 by the Knight Foundation and the Mozilla Foundation, OpenNews connects a network of developers, designers, journalists, and editors to collaborate on open technologies and processes within journalism. We will also introduce the OpenNews’ Peer Data Review Program which provides support and coaching to journalists working on data journalism projects.

Speakers

Sisi Wei is the Director of Programs at OpenNews, where she envisions and executes transformative initiatives to help create a journalism industry that is more inclusive and equitable, especially for journalists of color and local journalists. Previously, she was the Assistant Managing Editor at ProPublica, during which she edited and managed news apps, graphics, visual investigations and large, interdisciplinary projects. Sisi has won numerous Malofiej, SND Digital and ONA awards, the Gannett Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism, and the 2016 Data Journalism Award for Best Individual Portfolio. She has served as an adjunct professor at New York University, The New School and CUNY, and she is also the co-founder of Code with me, a high-impact, nonprofit workshop that teaches journalists how to code. (sisi@opennews.org)

Erika Owens is Director of OpenNews, where she convenes people and projects across journalism and technology to move the industry forward. Her adroit community work has been instrumental in establishing OpenNews as a leader in how to foster and sustain networks. Erika also serves on the board of the Movement Alliance Project (formerly Media Mobilizing Project) and has trained as a donor organizer through the Giving Project at Bread and Roses Community Fund. Previously, Erika was web editor at the Philadelphia Public School Notebook.

Moderator

Zela Chin. An award-winning journalist, Zela is the principal reporter for the weekly, prime-time documentary program Pearl Magazine on TVB, the largest broadcaster in Hong Kong. Prior to launching Pearl Magazine, she was a reporter with TVB’s business feature program, Money Magazine. TVB shows reach 2.3 million households in the city, and over 300 million households worldwide. Zela started her career at CNN headquarters in the U.S. and later joined CNN in Hong Kong to produce Talk Asia. Highlights include interviews with Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, scientist Stephen Hawking and opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.

10:00 – 11:30 – Using Data to Find Impactful Coronavirus Stories

This workshop will introduce you to two of the most used international datasets on the pandemic (Our World in Data which combines the most important data from Europe’s CDC and John Hopkins University in the U.S.) – We’ll talk through the tips and tricks to navigate the data and errors to avoid.

We’ll also showcase the best data journalism projects done by Asia’s journalists in the past 3 months.

Speaker

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng is an award-winning digital journalist cum trainer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is the founder of Data-N, a training program that helps journalists to integrate data journalism into daily reporting. Data-N has helped publications like Foreign Policy, BBC World Service, Mediacorp and Malaysiakini to enhance their storytelling with data, visual and interactive components. With the support of Google News Initiative, he has been conducting regular digital journalism workshops across the region since 2018. Keng is also the competition officer of Data Journalism Awards (2019) and Sigma Awards (2020), two international awards that recognize outstanding work in the field of data journalism worldwide.

How are journalists Covering and Coping with COVID-19 in Asia?

Date: Saturday 25 April, from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm (SG/HK time).

PROGRAM

10:00am – 11:20am – How are journalists Covering and Coping with COVID-19 in Asia? 

Journalist from various AAJA-Asia’s subchapters will share how they are living and working through the Covid-19 pandemic. What are the challenges they have met, the changes they have experienced, the lessons they have learnt?  

Panelists:

Motoko Rich is Tokyo bureau chief for The New York Times. She has been a reporter with The Times since 2003, and has covered a broad range of beats at the Times, including real estate (during a boom), the economy (during a bust), books and education. She started her journalism career at The Financial Times in London and worked at The Wall Street Journal for six years in Atlanta and New York. Ms. Rich, who grew up in New Jersey, Tokyo and Northern California, is a graduate of Yale University and Cambridge University.

Nicholas Yong, Assistant News Editor, Yahoo News. Nicholas has been working across print, broadcast and digital media for 12 years. He covers the general beat for Yahoo News Singapore, with a special interest in politics and long-form news features. He is also a published author and has written two works of fiction.

Ching-Ching Ni is editor-in-chief of the New York Times Chinese language website cn.nytimes.com, the newspaper’s first online edition in a foreign language. She started her journalism career at Newsday in New York and served for about a decade as China correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. Before becoming an editor she was associate dean and professor at the journalism school at Shantou University in southern China.

Grace Moon  is a freelance journalist and researcher based in Seoul, South Korea. She has written and recorded stories for the BBC, Public Radio International, NBC News, South China Morning Post, Food52, Dallas Morning News, Newsday and more. She’s also served as a fixer, researcher and translator for Radio-Canada, AJ+, UK’s Channel 4 and other media.

Moderator:

K. Oanh Ha is a senior reporter covering global business issues in Asia for Bloomberg. She’s currently based in Hong Kong. She joined the news organization in 2010 as Vietnam bureau chief and has also overseen the outlet’s coverage of consumer and healthcare news. Before joining Bloomberg, she worked as a host and reporter for KQED Public Radio in San Francisco on its nationally-syndicated program, Pacific Time, examining the connections between Asia, the U.S. and Asian American issues. She’s also reported for the San Jose Mercury News, covering Asia Pacific affairs, technology and small businesses.

11:30am – 12:30pm – How to Build and Strengthen Your Presence Online?

Tips and insights from Angie Lau, Editor-in-Chief, CEO, and Founder of Forkast.News.

Angie Lau is an award-winning veteran journalist and a respected thought leader in blockchain technology. Before founding Forkast in July 2018, Angie anchored Bloomberg TV’s flagship morning show “First Up with Angie Lau” broadcast globally into 350 million homes, offices and trading floors. Angie’s TED Talk “I Am Not Supposed to Be Here” is now a TED Ed Lesson for its global audience of 6.7 million followers.