Six Indian editors and media executives – and one from Nepal – are among the 50 named by INMA to receive its Elevate Scholarships.
Two Bangladeshis and one southeast Asian executive have also been named.
The association says diversity and inclusion is the focus of the fifth annual scholarship, designed to strengthen the future of the news business by embracing and elevating historically under-represented and disadvantaged groups in early- to mid-level positions at news media companies. Some 397 people from 83 countries applied for the scholarship.
Successful were (from India):Vikas Baghla (digital advertisement manager, Sach Kahoon); Wahid Bhat (co-founder and editor of Groud Report); Joydeep Dasgupta (editor, News Sense); Shweta Kothari (senior editor, TV9 Network); Anchal Srivastava, (social media executive, Jagran New Media); and Suryanshu Vyas (product manager, The Times of India).
Also from south Asia are: Mehboob Javed (lead specialist/digital marketing, Prothom Alo), and Jebun Nesa (special correspondent, The Business Standard), both in Bangladesh, and Sunil Phuyal (chief of digital platforms at Avenues Networks in Nepal).
One southeast Asian executive – Friska Fristella (head of product at Indonesia’s KG Media) among INMA’s 50; there were none from Australia or New Zealand.
INMA says scholarship recipients gain news industry business fundamentals that will propel their individual careers, with the bigger picture goal of infusing the industry with the talent it needs to face today’s challenging business landscape.
“INMA is proud to continue to champion the inclusion and growth of under-represented professionals in the news media industry,” said executive director and chief executive Earl Wilkinson. “The news industry is stronger when we include perspectives that represent the communities we serve, engendering audience trust and growth.”
The scholarship includes free access to three master classes in 2025 and a one-year membership.
Pictured: This year’s list of Elevate scholars includes digital platforms chief Sunil Phuyal from Nepal, a country located mostly in the Himalayas