Five NMG journalists join prestigious training programmes
From left: Brian George, Wangu Kanuri and Daniel Ogetta who are among the five NMG journalists selected for prestigious training programmes.
What you need to know:
- Brian George, an NTV business reporter and anchor, is one of the journalists in the CNN Academy’s Summer School of 2025.
- Fridah Okachi and Wangu Kanuri have been picked by the “Voices from the South” programme under the CNN Academy.
Five journalists from the Nation Media Group (NMG) are joining other reporters from around the world in various training programmes after passing rigorous recruitment processes.
Brian George, Daniel Ogetta, Fridah Okachi, Judith Cherono and Wangu Kanuri recently qualified for different training sessions organised by overseas institutions.
Brian George, an NTV business reporter and anchor, is one of the journalists in the CNN Academy’s Summer School of 2025. He is currently in Dublin, Ireland, where he is taking part in a two-week programme titled “Storytelling in the Age of AI”.
According to the CNN Academy, the first week of the programme entails classroom learning on topics such as multiplatform content production, using the mobile phone to shoot and edit content, verification techniques, open-source investigation, and artificial intelligence. In the second week, the trainees will take up an assignment.
“Faced with a breaking news story unfolding in real-time, students will test and refine their skills in a realistic news environment. Participants will be split into groups and tasked with producing a comprehensive news report by the end of the week, shot and edited on their phones,” says the CNN Academy.
Posting about his selection for the programme, Brian said he was hoping to advance deep artificial intelligence skills in his career.
And in an interview on Saturday, he said that being in the course has exposed him to “tools and advanced skills used by CNN and in partnership with key tech companies”.
He added that the training on using mobile phones in journalism is a good lesson on “how to merge legacy media experience with the demands of audiences consuming news on the go as it breaks.”
Daniel Ogetta, a print reporter, has won a scholarship from the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) which will secure him a place in an investigative journalism editing programme offered by the Arizona State University.
“Over the next 12 weeks, they’ll sharpen their watchdog reporting skills through world-class training,” the ICFJ said in a LinkedIn post.
Ogetta will be in the programme with 10 other journalists, drawn from Paraguay, Cambodia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Russia, among other countries.
Hands-on training
Fridah Okachi, who works both in the print and broadcast departments at NMG, has been picked by the “Voices from the South” programme under the CNN Academy. She was picked alongside Wangu Kanuri, a features writer at NMG.
The academy said it received 10,800 applications from 129 countries ahead of its June 23 application deadline. The programme is only open to journalists from the Global South. From July to October, Fridah, Wangu and the others selected will undergo training virtually.
“During this phase, participants will engage in a series of courses designed to enhance their storytelling skills and deepen their understanding of global issues, particularly those affecting the Global South,” says the CNN Academy.
Afterwards, they will head to Abu Dhabi for hands-on training.
“They will then participate in the 2025 CNN Academy Simulation, which will centre on global health reporting,” the CNN Academy notes.
Wangu, speaking on Saturday, said she expects the training “to challenge me at a global level where every single story must resonate across continents, cultures, and audiences.”
“I want to sharpen that skill: how do you publish a story so it carries weight in Kenya, yet still connects with readers in New York, Doha, or Johannesburg among other territories?” she reflected.
Judith Cherono, an NTV regional reporter based in Kisumu, will be one of two Kenyans joining the Oxford Climate Journalism Network this year. Numbering 100 in total, they are the eighth cohort admitted into the network, joining dozens of journalists from around the world who joined earlier.
“The eighth cohort of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network runs from July to December 2025. It includes 100 journalists (33 men, 66 women and one non-binary person) from dozens of countries and territories and from a wide range of news outlets,” said the Reuters Institute, which will be offering the training, in a website post.
Through its LinkedIn account, NMG noted: “This prestigious recognition is a testament to [Judy’s] passion for positively influencing society through her impactful reporting on climate change and environmental issues. We’re proud to celebrate this milestone with her!”
Speaking on Saturday, Judith said she looks forward to learning from and accessing world-leading scientists.
“Climate change is a wide subject, and with the knowledge I will get from Oxford, I will sharpen my journalism skills in reporting on these areas,” she said.
“I am eager to learn about greenwashing, which is simply defined as the deceptive practice of marketing a product or policy,” she added, noting that such knowledge will help her better package her stories so that the audience can make informed decisions.