March 21, 2025 was not a normal day. It was the day I found out I was shortlisted for the World Press Institute fellowship. I had no idea how much this opportunity would change my perspective. Then came September 5, the day it all began. Stepping foot in the United States was a dream but being here felt surreal. I arrived as a foreign desk editor focused on my usual ways of working, and I am leaving as an editor willing to try new approaches, open to shifts in journalism and attentive to how stories are told today.
Visiting news outlets across nine states opened my eyes to different approaches, newsroom cultures and storytelling methods. At the Chicago Tribune in Chicago, editors encouraged reporters to uncover the human stories behind statistics, turning complex topics into relatable narratives. In San Francisco, I visited San Francisco Mother Jones and observed teams experimenting with multimedia, integrating video, audio and interactive graphics while embracing mistakes as part of learning. In Phoenix, The Arizona Republic highlighted bilingual and multicultural reporting. In Alaska, as I visited Anchorage Daily News, seeing journalism adapted to extreme conditions to ensure stories reached audiences despite geographic challenges. In Washington, D.C., I observed The Washington Post’s political reporting under tight deadlines, maintaining accuracy while covering fast-moving developments. And in New York, I explored The New York Times, gaining insight into large-scale media operations where collaboration and innovation drive storytelling across multiple platforms.
Each newsroom had its own rhythm and challenges but one lesson stood out: growth comes from trying and experimenting, not from staying in comfort zones. The pace of media change reminded me that staying current requires curiosity, courage and flexibility.
Over these nine weeks, I learned to approach stories with more empathy, adapt quickly to new tools and embrace risks in storytelling. I have grown not only in my reporting skills but in the confidence to explore unfamiliar approaches and learn from mistakes. I carry with me not just lessons from newsrooms but the stories I witnessed, the friendships I built and a deeper understanding of why journalism matters: to tell human stories and connect communities.
