heir offerings include everything from the Academy Hub (self-paced e-learning on journalism fundamentals, ethics, and AI), to simulation training, co-branded master’s programs, and workshops rooted in multimedia reporting and climate storytelling from the Global South. With programming ranging from hands-on simulations to global bootcamps and masterclasses, including climate-focused storytelling backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, CNN Academy gives aspiring journalists the tools to navigate and shape today’s complex media landscape . CNN Academy equips the next generation of journalists with real-world skills through immersive, newsroom-style learning. Drawing on CNN’s legacy, it brings newsroom expertise into classrooms—from Dublin to Kuala Lumpur—connecting students with top CNN correspondents and transforming storytelling into action. 

As a CNN Academy Global South Fellow, I spent months immersed in an intensive program designed to sharpen both my technical and editorial skills. The fellowship was a unique blend of online courses, expert-led masterclasses, and peer-to-peer collaboration, all focused on harnessing storytelling to address climate change from a Global South perspective. I learned directly from seasoned CNN journalists and industry experts, covering areas such as climate science basics, investigative techniques, multimedia production, and the ethics of climate reporting. The program also challenged us to think critically about representation, ensuring that stories from our regions are told with accuracy, dignity, and urgency.

Throughout the fellowship, I completed modules on scriptwriting, visual storytelling, data journalism, and mobile video production. Each course built on the last, giving me the skills to not only capture powerful narratives but also frame them in ways that influence public opinion and policy. I particularly valued the sessions on pitching climate stories to international media and the collaborative workshops where fellows from across the Global South critiqued and refined each other’s work. These exchanges broadened my perspective and connected me to a global network of storytellers equally committed to driving environmental change.

Now, as we approach the program’s grand finale in Abu Dhabi this November, I am eager to bring my learning full circle. The final gathering will be an opportunity to showcase our projects, engage in high-level discussions with climate experts and media leaders, and strengthen the professional bonds we have built over the course of the fellowship. More importantly, it will be a space to align our collective voices, amplify our stories, and strategize on how to ensure that the realities of the Global South are not just heard but acted upon in the global climate discourse.

Course Work