MSF Media Fellowship for Responsible Humanitarian Reporting

Encouraging in-depth, ethical media on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Overview

About the MSF Media Fellowship 2016

The MSF Media Fellowship, hosted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) South Asia, aimed to build stronger connections between MSF’s humanitarian work and journalists, facilitating responsible, insightful reporting on issues affecting health and vulnerable populations. In 2019-20, the fellowship specifically focused on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), a public health and humanitarian concern that often lacks adequate, sensitive media coverage.

The fellowship provided journalists with funding, reporting support, and access to MSF fieldwork and insights to improve public understanding of SGBV, its health implications, and the barriers survivors face.

Applicant profile

Who is this programme designed for?

Eligibility

This fellowship was open to professional journalists, including freelancers, photojournalists, and multimedia journalists, working in print, broadcast, television, or digital media within India. Applicants were expected to have a minimum of four years’ professional experience, with prior reporting on health, development, public policy, or related issues.

Priority Considerations

The fellowship sought journalists capable of producing reporting that:

  • Raised awareness about sexual and gender-based violence as a health and humanitarian issue, not just a legal or criminal one.
  • Considered ethical reporting practices that protect survivors and communities.
  • Helped reshape media narratives to support understanding, compassionate care, and policy engagement.
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Applicant process

The MSF Media Fellowship Journey

Key Dates

Application opens

January 2026

Applications for MSF staff seeking an MSF-funded place open 12 January – 9 February. Applications for self funding places open 12 February – 13 March.

Applications deadline

January 2026

The deadline to submit your GHHM application is 21 April 2025. Late or incomplete submissions cannot be considered.

Program commences

January 2026

The GHHM 2026-2027 will run from the beginning of September 2026 to the end of May 2027, blending weekly live webinars, group learning, self-directed study, and additional training modules.

Application and CV
Professional journalists working in print, television, or online media.
Minimum of four years of professional experience.
Applicants could be from english or national language media in India.
Application and CV

Fellows were expected to produce publishable material within three months of fellowship completion, such as:

Print/Online: At least 3 articles (500 words each) or 1 long-form story (2000 words).
Multimedia: Articles with accompanying video, data visuals, or photo stories.

Television: One feature documentary (20–30 minutes) or three broadcast stories.
 These outputs were to focus on increasing awareness of SGBV’s health impact, need for support systems, and respectful survivor care. msfsouthasia.org
Application and CV

Applicants were to submit:

A 2-page resume.
A proposal (approx. 700 words) with initial research and story angles.
Two samples of published work (with translations if in a regional language).
A letter of recommendation from a professional refree.
A letter of support from an editor confirming planned publication and leave time.
A 500-word statement of purpose detailing motivation for the fellowship. msfsouthasia.org
Application and CV

Applicants were to submit:

Applications were evaluated by MSF and an external jury member. MSF reserved the right not to award a fellowship if standards were unmet. msfsouthasia

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Grant categories

Fellowship Grant Categories

There are three grant categories available for applicants to choose from:

General Grant (applicants can choose from a range of themes)

The General Grant supports in-depth reporting across five themes:

Tuberculosis
Women’s Health
HIV
Impact of Caste on Health
Health Impact of Climate Change

This grant will enable journalists to highlight and investigate a range of transversal subjects in South Asia through training, insightful storytelling and extensive field exposure. Successful applicants receive a grant to cover reporting costs and get access to experts to enrich the reporting process.
Please read further details about these five topics and the expected regions of focus, under the Themes section.

MSF White Logo

The MSF-DNDi Grant focuses on raising awareness and fostering a better understanding of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). NTDs such as dengue, lymphatic filariasis, leishmaniasis and mycetoma affect millions of people in South Asia. These diseases are driven by factors like poverty, poor sanitation, lack of adequate treatment and limited healthcare access. This grant is aimed at exploring the complexities of NTDs from the lens of gender, pediatrics and climate change. It emphasizes the need for targeted interventions such as safe, affordable and effective treatment and improved healthcare infrastructure.

The grant will also focus on critical issues surrounding gender equity in clinical trials, the intersection of gender, climate, and infectious diseases highlighting the systemic challenges faced by women in health research and the urgent need for actionable strategies to address these disparities. Recipients receive financial support for reporting expenses and access to DNDi experts to generate comprehensive reportage. 

MSF-DNDI

AMR occurs when bacteria naturally develop resistance to antibiotics, rendering them increasingly ineffective. As a result, infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. AMR is already one of the world’s biggest killers, with 4.71 million associated deaths each year. As per the recent findings of the Global Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) study, AMR-related mortality has remained relatively stable in recent decades, but a sharp rise is now expected, with the number of AMR-related deaths increasing by more than 70% by 2050.

The MSF-GARDP grant on AMR is aimed at delving deeper into the issue of AMR, the steps we need to take today to bend the curve on AMR and how different stakeholders can play their part in tackling the challenge posed by antimicrobial resistance. Recipients shall receive financial support for reporting expenses and access to GARDP experts to generate comprehensive reportage.

GARDP

Apply now for 2025-2026

Submit your proposal between 15 May and 30 June 2025 to join the next cohort.

Voices shaping the future of media

Guided by experienced mentors and powered by passionate fellows, the fellowship nurtures bold, insightful storytelling that informs, challenges, and inspires communities across the region.

Dr Kajal panwar
Dr Kajal panwar
This is test mentor Dr kajal panwar
Dr Chandrakant Lahariya
Dr Chandrakant Lahariya
Dr Chandrakant Lahariya is one of India’s leading doctors, infectious diseases and preventive medicine specialist. He is also an expert in child health and vaccines.…
Dr Kavita Singh
Dr Kavita Singh
Dr Kavita Singh is the Director of South Asia for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Her distinguished career spans clinical research, public health,…
Dr Rajni Kant
Dr Rajni Kant
Dr Rajni Kant is a renowned public health expert with over four decades of experience, specializing in vector-borne diseases, particularly malaria and Japanese encephalitis (JE)/Acute…
Ritwika Mitra
Ritwika Mitra
Ritwika Mitra is an independent journalist and alumni of the MSF South Asia Without Borders Media Fellowship – 2022. Her work has appeared in The…
Dilrukshi Handunetti
Dilrukshi Handunetti
Dilrukshi Handunnetti is an international award-winning investigative journalist, senior editor, trainer, researcher, and a rights advocate. She co-founded the Colombo-based Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR)…
Dr Kajal Chauhan
Dr Kajal Chauhan
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Aatreyee Dhar
Aatreyee Dhar
Aatreyee Dhar is an independent journalist reporting on health, plantation economics/ politics, gender and environment especially from northeast India.
Cheena Kapoor
Cheena Kapoor
Cheena Kapoor is a Delhi-based independent journalist and photographer. She writes on climate change, public health, gender, and socio-economic issues. She has been a recipient…
Raihan Ferdaus
Raihan Ferdaus
Raihan Ferdaus, an experienced journalist from Bangladesh, has committed almost ten years to his work in the media field. During his working time with the…
Rituparna Palit
Rituparna Palit
Rituparna Palit is an independent journalist exploring how environment, health, and technology intersect and shape lives. She is a recipient of fellowships from the Earth…
Sharvan Kumar
Sharvan Kumar
Sharvan Kumar is an environmental journalist and storyteller from Balotra, Rajasthan, whose work focuses on climate change, rural livelihoods, and marginalized communities. He serves as…
Swati Thapa
Swati Thapa
Swati is an independent journalist based in Uttarakhand, India, and has been working as a reporter since 2021. Her work involves in-depth coverage of critical…
Tara Chapagain
Tara Chapagain
Tara Chapagain is a Nepali journalist based in Kathmandu with more than a decade of reporting on social justice, climate, education, and gender. She was…
Md. Zahid Hossain
Md. Zahid Hossain
Md. Zahid Hossain Khan is an experienced journalist, political analyst and researcher working in the complex areas of governance, policy analysis and social justice in…

RECOGNITION AND IMPACT

Mansi V., a 2024 MSF–DNDi Without Borders Media Fellow, has received the prestigious Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity for her powerful story on how women navigate life with #LymphaticFilariasis. Her story highlights how women living with Lymphatic Filariasis confront stigma, silence, and systemic barriers, amplifying voices often left unheard. This highlights the impact of humanitarian health journalism that merges scientific depth with community engagement, a hallmark of the MSF–DNDi fellowship.