Strengthening newsrooms through mentorship & opportunity
“Are you willing to give someone a chance? We all got here because someone gave us an opportunity,” said the General Manager of News and Sports at FBC Fiji, Indra Singh, during a panel session titled Strengthening Newsrooms Through Mentorship and Opportunity.
The Lead of the International and Digital Services Strategy at ABC Australia, Nesryn Bouziane, emphasised that mentorship is more than a goodwill gesture — it’s a strategic necessity. “If you want your newsroom to stay relevant, it must reflect your audience. Diversity isn’t just about fairness — it’s a business imperative,” she said.
She detailed ABC’s efforts to implement mentorship programs both internally and through partnerships with ABU, highlighting cadetships and targeted support for underrepresented groups, which are essential in countering news avoidance and ensuring plurality of voices in coverage.
Indra stressed the importance of understanding the personal and professional challenges journalists face — especially women.
He cited examples of women being empowered at FBC Fiji, including an all-female crew producing a live football match and female leadership in Fiji’s Super Rugby broadcasts. Indra said, “If you don’t empower your people, you won’t get results,” while adding, “mentorship must be part of the entire organisation, not just the newsroom.”
The Director of Thai PBS World Thailand, Clare Patchimanon, who is mentoring a young news anchor from Sri Lanka as part of ABU’s mentoring program, explained the mutual benefits of mentorship. “It’s not just the mentees who gain,” she explained. “Mentors also learn about other newsrooms, challenges, and perspectives.”
Clare shared that Thai PBS World is integrating similar mentorship approaches into its own internal training and has launched a virtual version of its popular fellowship program.
She added that mentorship is about teaching others to solve problems on their own and empowering them for the long term. “If you teach someone to fish, they’ll feed themselves for life,” she said.
Nesryn shared a personal mentorship experience, a story about how former BBC executive Anna De Silva mentored her as she transitioned from law into journalism — an act that changed the course of her life. “Having someone who trusts you and supports you without judgment can be life-changing,” she said.
