NASSAU, Bahamas, August 1, 2023 — Deandre Williamson, who “serves the converged newsroom of Jones Communications Network primarily as an editor and reporter for The Bahama Journal newspaper” in Nassau, Bahamas, has been selected to participate in the 2023 United Nations Reham al-Farra Journalism Fellowship (RAF).
The 2023 RAF Programme will take place at UN Headquarters, New York, from September 13 to 29, 2023. Participants were selected from the previous virtual RAF Classes of 2021 and 2022.
Deandre also works remotely from The Bahamas as the opportunities editor for the International Journalists’ Network (IJNet). Previously, she worked as a television and radio reporter at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (ZNS-1), in addition to internships at CNN Headline News and a local CBS affiliate in Pennsylvania.
Deandre represented The Bahamas in the Caribbean Climate Justice Journalism Fellowship and the 2019-2020 Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship, and is the recipient of several awards, including the Bahamas Press Club’s Best Business Story Award in 2020.
The Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship was mandated in December 1980 by UN General Assembly Resolution 35/201. Formerly known as the DPI Training Programme for Broadcasters and Journalists from Developing Countries, the programme was renamed in 2003 in honor of Reham Al-Farra, a 29-year-old Jordanian public information officer who was killed in the 19 August 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.
“The Fellowship is a unique opportunity for young (22 to 35), working journalists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition to cover the United Nations,” according to the U>N. website. “Hosted every autumn at UN Headquarters, the programme brings a select group of journalists to New York to cover the opening of the General Assembly for their news outlets.”
During the three-week programme, fellows have an opportunity to attend special briefings, interview senior officials and exchange ideas with colleagues from around the world. In previous years, fellows have met with the UN Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, President of the General Assembly and permanent representatives to the United Nations. The programme also arranges visits to various news organizations, such as the New York Times, Democracy Now! and BuzzFeed.
Since its founding in 1981, the fellowship has been awarded to 652 journalists from 168 countries. Upon completion of the programme, fellows are expected to continue working in journalism and promote better understanding of the United Nations in their home countries. The programme does not provide basic skills training, as all fellows are working journalists.
