Mehryne Annooar and Nashreen Edoo Baccus – two of Mauritius’ promising young journalists have secured a place at Future News Worldwide, a prestigious international media conference held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 4 – 6 July 2018. Selected from a highly competitive field of over 2,500 worldwide applicants, they will be joining fellow aspiring reporters from 50 countries for an intensive three-day learning programme.
Developed by the British Council, working in partnership with some of the world's leading media organisations, the conference identifies, trains and connects the next generation of international journalists by giving them rare access to insights from leading global media professionals. Already confirmed to appear are: BBC News presenter and former China Editor, Carrie Gracie; Reuters Global News Editor, Alessandra Galloni; and veteran Kenyan Editor and open-data champion Catherine Gicheru.
Taking place at the Scottish Parliament, Future News Worldwide coincides with, and offers a major international contribution to, Scotland’s Year of Young People as a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for the next generation of top journalists to hone their skills and make global connections.
With the media itself increasingly the subject of news headlines, the event presents a timely opportunity to focus on the universal values of objectivity, balance and evidence that underpin the profession. Topics under the lens will include storytelling and the challenges facing journalism in the digital age.
Tris Bartlett, British Council Mauritius Director said; “this is a great opportunity for Mehryne and Nashreen, as well as for British Council in Mauritius. Aside from the sessions led by world leading journalists, the opportunity for the two young Mauritian journalists to meet, share worldviews, learn and debate with other young journalists from around the world is a great one. Our hope is that they will build lasting networks of contacts, which will help enrich and inform their professional careers and, through this, help to develop the quality and breadth of journalism in Mauritius. We also hope that they will return to Mauritius with interesting ideas as to how digital media can support Mauritians and British Council in Mauritius to access and engage with locally relevant news and issues.”
Mark Wood, former Editor-in-Chief of Reuters and Chair of the Future News Advisory Board said, "Future News Worldwide 2018 is a unique event which gives young journalists from 50 countries the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the most outstanding media figures of our time. As well as focussing on high-quality, reliable journalism, they will take part in workshops which equip them to deal with all forms of digital communication. At a time when the demand for trustworthy news has never been greater, this conference will help plant the roots of dependable, quality journalism in countries around the world."
