New Welsh fellowship aims to shake-up British journalism

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A groundbreaking journalism fellowship has been launched to address systemic underrepresentation of Welsh media, offering a fully funded opportunity for a journalist to study at Oxford's prestigious Reuters Institute.

The Cynefin Fellowship, announced by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and Inclusive Journalism Cymru, will provide one journalist in or from Wales with a three-month residency at Oxford from January to April 2026.

The partnership with the Reuters Institute represents a significant opportunity for Welsh journalism, given the institution's track record of producing projects with far-reaching industry impact. Recent fellows have achieved remarkable outcomes: one BBC journalist's accessibility project led to organisational task forces and policy changes, while others have secured high-profile assignments, influenced national policy papers, launched innovation labs at major broadcasters, and even contributed to international legal proceedings.

The fellowship is an investment in diversifying journalism, with all tuition and accommodation costs covered, plus a £5,000 stipend and additional paid work opportunities.

Systemic change

Shirish Kulkarni, founder and director of Inclusive Journalism Cymru, highlighted the stark underrepresentation of Wales in British journalism as a driving force behind the initiative.

"Until recently, it was only the BBC that had a Wales correspondent based in Wales of all the broadcasters and national publications," Kulkarni says. "And this is a country which has its own parliament, a devolved education system, a devolved health system, all those things."

Drawing from personal experience, Kulkarni described the challenges faced when pitching Welsh stories: "If I brought up a story about or from Wales because of my Welsh background, you'd see the chorus of eye rolls go around the meeting. And this is a country of the UK that you're supposed to be serving."

The fellowship aims to tackle what Kulkarni has identified as a core issue during his community listening projects: "People don't see themselves accurately reflected and represented in or by journalism. If the industry is not representative of society, then coverage can't reflect or represent the reality of most people's lives."

The initiative builds on Inclusive Journalism Cymru's growing network of 350 members, providing what Kulkarni describes as crucial validation for journalists facing resistance in newsrooms.

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The Reuters Institute's endorsement carries significant weight in the industry. As Kulkarni notes: "This is a massive signal from them to say inclusion and innovation are really important."

While innovation often focuses on technology, the fellowship has a much broader scope, like a community reporting project or policy reform.

Applications are now open exclusively to free members of Inclusive Journalism Cymru. The deadline to apply is 29 September 2025, with a virtual Q&A session scheduled for 10 September to answer questions about the fellowship.

Following their Oxford residency, the selected fellow will work with Inclusive Journalism Cymru at their standard day rate of £200 to share insights with the journalism industry in Wales and beyond.

While this inaugural fellowship offers one position, Kulkarni hopes that it will become an annual program, contingent on securing further funding.

We used Claude AI to draft this article before it was edited by a human.