Seasoned journalist Gregory Gondwe says he is excited to have been awarded a nine-month John S Knight (JSK) Fellowship, prestigious media training course in the US.
The renowned investigative journalist is the only African and first Malawian among the six recipients globally to be offered the 2024/25 fellowship.
Others are Arfa Khanum from India, Malaysia’s Darshini Kandasanu, Juan Camilo Bogota of Colombia, Russian Mikhail Rubi and Nalan Sipar of Germany.
He said it is not only financial benefits that makes it valuable but also unparalleled learning experiences over the period of nine months.
Speaking to ProjectM Gondwe, who is managing director for Investigative Journalism Malawi Platform, said to secure this fellowship involves vigilant attention to application calls.
“I applied by crafting over 10 essays each reporting detailed discussions and explanations,” he said.
Gondwe also said he proposed an innovation project that he plans to do at Stanford as part of his studies which aims at enhancing his initiatives in Malawi.
“I moved on to a rigourous two-hour virtual interview with JSK management team which fortunately went well,” he said.
Gondwe urges fellow journalists to embrace the challenges presented by opportunities such as this.
He further said in journalism, “our learning continues until the end of our lives”.
“Never settle into a mindset of retirement when there is still so much work to be done and so many stories to uncover,” he added.
Meanwhile, PIJ has congratulated Gondwe on the feat, saying it will make the online investigative media outlet better.
Nsanje-based Capital FM radio reporter, Manford Chirombo said he is inspired Gondwe’s work in investigative journalism.
“If I had resources, I would have studied Investigative journalism,” said Chirombo.
