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How do you do fact-checking before sharing the next viral social media post? How do you ethically produce credible non-fiction content for your social media accounts? Are you interested in becoming a journalist influencer?
If you want to work alongside news influencers, get trained by world-class journalists, and gain rare behind-the-scenes access to how leading newsrooms like Astro, Malaysiakini, and Bernama operate — this is your chance. Submit your written statement by 31st May 2025 to win a spot in our online training programme and an all-expenses-paid Young Creator Fellowship. All selected participants will receive a certificate issued by Malaysiakini and UNESCO. Top-performing fellows will also walk away with prizes worth over RM6,000.
Organised by Yayasan Malaysiakini and UNESCO, and supported by the High Commission of Australia, Kuala Lumpur, this prestigious opportunity is open to Malaysians aged 18 to 25.
Programme Timeline
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About
Your Story, Your Impact
Today, Gen Z’s main medium of content consumption is social media. As pointed out by Reuters Digital Report 2024, young people between 18 and 34 increasingly prefer social media creators over publisher websites as their key news source out of convenience. Through all the noise and scrolling, misinformation easily slips through the cracks and onto your For You Page, making it hard to discern between fact and fiction. It will eventually result in a less informed society that overlooks critical issues.
How can we overcome misinformation and spot fake news? How can we still use social media but remain informed on issues that will affect us? How can creators produce content that is informative, fact-based and can drive meaningful change through the media?
Malaysiakini and UNESCO tackle this issue with the inaugural Young Creator Fellowship 2025. This programme is open to young adults aged 18-25 who are passionate about content creation and journalism. Applicants must submit an original written statement that reflects your voice, your perspective, and your interest in becoming a journalist influencer.
The top 25 participants will be selected for the Young Creator Online Training, a two-day intensive program featuring interactive workshops on media literacy, personal data protection, data journalism, storytelling, and critical thinking. You will be given a certificate from UNESCO upon completion of your training.
From this group, five outstanding participants will be selected for the Youth Creator Fellowship, an exclusive opportunity to work closely with experienced journalists, media professionals, and mentors. Fellows will participate in hands-on journalism projects, receive one-on-one mentorship, develop impactful stories, and receive prizes worth more than RM 6,000.
Participants of the programme will also be invited to produce or host Malaysiakini’s Gen Z video programme, Kini Z.
This is your opportunity to gain recognition, develop your skills, and make an impact through storytelling. Submit your entry by 1 May 2025!
About Yayasan Malaysiakini
Yayasan Malaysiakini is a foundation established by Malaysiakini, Malaysia’s most-visited independent news platform. Malaysiakini is an award-winning midsize news organisation that reports in English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil, focusing on democracy, human rights, and government accountability. The foundation is dedicated to advancing journalism education, promoting media literacy, and researching industry trends to ensure the continued growth of independent media in Malaysia.
Young Creator Fellowship
How do I apply?
1. The Young Creator Fellowship 2025 is open to all Malaysians aged 18 to 25 — especially those with a voice, a vision, and a story to tell.
2. To apply, submit a short written piece (200–300 words) that tells us:
- Who you are
- What matters most to you
- Why your voice deserves to be heard
3. You don’t need prior experience in media or journalism — just curiosity, courage, and a drive to tell meaningful stories.
Submit your piece HERE before 11:59 pm, 31st May 2025.
What will I get?
- 25 participants will be selected to attend the two-day online training on 15 June 2025 and 29 June 2025. Five top-performing participants will be chosen to participate in the all-paid-for fellowship in Kuala Lumpur from 17 July to 19 July 2025.
- During the online sessions, you will receive media literacy, newsgathering, and data protection training from world-class trainers.
- After completing the programme, you will receive a certificate from Malaysiakini and UNESCO.
- Five participants will be selected to join the fellowship in July. They will get hands-on training on videography and photography, networking opportunities with industry experts, and tours to Malaysiakini, Astro Awani, and BERNAMA newsrooms. They will also produce a video under the guidance of a mentor to compete for prizes with a total worth of more than RM 6,000.
- Participants of the programme will also be invited to produce or host Malaysiakini’s Gen Z video programme, Kini Z.
Am I eligible for the application?
- The programme is open to all Malaysians born between 2002 and 2006.
- You must have access to the internet and a device to participate in the two-day online training.
I still have more questions. Who can I talk to?
Email us at [email protected] or text us at +60 17-323 0707.
This is your chance to take your storytelling skills to the next level, work alongside industry professionals, and make an impact through journalism. Will you be one of the five selected? Stay tuned!
Programmes
PART 1: ONLINE TRAINING
Day 1: 15 June 2025, Sunday
Day 2: 29 June, 2025 Sunday
PART 2.1: MENTORSHIP LEADING UP TO THE FELLOWSHIP
1 July 2025 – 15 July 2025
Based on their pitches, five selected fellows will each produce a final video under the mentorship of trainers.
Deadline: 11:59 pm, 15 July 2025
PART 2.2: YOUNG CREATOR FELLOWSHIP
Day 1: 17 July 2025 (Thursday)
Day 2: 18 July 2025 (Friday) – Full-Day
Day 3: 19 July 2025 (Saturday) – Half-Day
PART 3: TOOLKIT DEVELOPMENT
Date: 16 October 2025
Malaysiakini will publish a toolkit for media organisations to improve engagement with youth audiences based on our experience with them in an editor roundtable meeting.
PART 4: YOUNG CREATORS ON KINIZ
The Young creator fellowship participants will be invited to contribute content to the young audience for Malaysiakini’s social media accounts, including the Gen Z explainer video programme KiniZ.
Trainers & Moderators
Aidila Razak
Aidila Razak is an award-winning journalist. She was the Special Reports Editor at Malaysiakini, Malaysia’s most read news website. She used to oversee a team of investigative journalists at the Kini News Lab, a unit specialising in multimedia journalism and interactive storytelling. She has covered a range of issues including human rights, social justice, the environment and politics. She has a special interest in data and multimedia journalism, and using innovative methods of reporting and storytelling.
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng is a digital journalist, data journalism trainer, and media consultant based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is the founder of Data-N, a training program that helps newsrooms integrate data journalism into daily reporting. Partnering with regional journalism organisations including Google News Initiatives, WAN-IFRA and Internews, he has been conducting regular digital journalism workshops since 2018, reaching over 1,000 journalists in Asia. He also provides consulting and mentoring to media organisations in data, visual and interactive journalism.
Hadi Azmi
Hadi Azmi is a multidisciplinary journalist who sees the press as a vital bridge between the people and the state. He embraces this role by putting himself amid the lively online discourse on Twitter. He currently writes for Hong Kong’s leading English newspaper, the South China Morning Post.
Iqbal Fatkhi
Iqbal Fatkhi is the editor-in-chief of youth news media Cilisos.my. With 6 years plus of experience in editorial journalism and digital marketing, as well as a further 2 years
Plus of experience in social media management and strategy, he has published self-produced digital content, reaching over 30 million views and 100,000 followers across social media.
Tham Seen Hau
Tham Seen Hau is the head of operations of Malaysiakini and the programme director of the Youth Journalism Programme 2025, jointly organised by UNESCO and Malaysiakini. She has over two decades of experience in the journalism industry, having worked in satellite television stations, radio stations, news agencies, and digital news portals.
Camelia Nor Azlan
Camelia is a broadcast journalist from KiniTV. She has presented and hosted numerous stories throughout her career, including KiniNews and KiniZ. Cammy began her internship with KiniTV in February 2022 and continued her journey for the past 3 years as the journalist she is today with Malaysiakini.