Introducing the April 2024 Train-the-Trainers Participants
Over five days, trainers undergo intensive sessions on best strategies around spreading solutions journalism
The Train-the-Trainers program at the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) provides coaching and support for individuals and institutions teaching the practice of solutions journalism, in order to assure rigorous, universal standards.
Over five days, trainers undergo intensive sessions on best strategies around spreading solutions journalism, including how to think about the design and delivery of content that is relevant to a particular training context and how it aligns with SJN’s ethical and editorial standards for solutions journalism.
The program is co-hosted by Kyuwon Lee, SJN’s Training & Curriculum Manager, Francine Huff, SJN’s Training & Curriculum Director, and Camille Padilla Dalmau, the co-founder of 9 Millones and SJN’s accredited trainer in Puerto Rico
Here are the participants in this cohort’s Train-the-Trainers program:
Ann Cordiner
Ann Cordiner is Editor of Strategy and Impact at ABC News. In her role she guides the strategic work for the news division which has more than 1,500 staff located in eight capital city newsrooms, 58 regional newsrooms and 12 overseas posts. Working with the news leadership, she developed and launched the News division’s Audience-First News strategy focused on accelerating digital transformation and high value journalism. She runs workshops with staff across the organisation, driving informed and careful thinking about editorial commissioning and approaches to storytelling and distribution. She also manages strategic projects, including the ABC’s solutions journalism training. Ann has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. She completed a law degree before moving into media, firstly as a broadcast reporter, then producer and program editor for Sky News in London and finally back with the ABC in Australia.
Alma Hassoun
Alma Hassoun, from Damascus, based in London. Holding an MA degree in Diversity and the Media from University of Westminster. Currently, an Assistant Editor with the BBC, co-leading BBC Arabic digital operation, covering the MENA region.
Carla Rosch
Carla Rosch is a journalist from Costa Rica, of Swiss and Cuban origin, living in London. She has published features focusing on technology, society, travel, sustainability, climate change and nature. In 2022, she was awarded with a LEDE Fellowship from the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), which has influenced the way she approaches journalism. Her solutions journalism podcast episode about how ‘forest therapy’ (or ‘forest bathing’) helps people with addiction and mental health issues was nominated for the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2023. She currently works within the BBC News’s World Service visual journalism team, while also continuing freelancing.
Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson is a Professor of Communication and Journalism at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey where she serves as coordinator of the college’s Journalism & New Media degree track and faculty adviser to the award-winning student newspaper The College VOICE. In addition, she is director of the college’s Community Reporting “J Lab” certificate program which trains local residents to cover the stories of their communities that might otherwise be neglected by mainstream reporters. She has 20 years of experience as a writer and educator.
Julia Meriney
Julia Meriney is Editor in Chief of The College VOICE, a nationally-recognized, award-winning two-year college media outlet in Mercer County, NJ. Julia’s ongoing reporting and documentary photography focuses on social inequalities and the possibilities that lie within our shared humanity. She recently served as editorial assistant for Mercer County Community College’s new Community Journalism certificate program teaching core reporting skills to a diverse population of residents with no formal journalism training. Her work has received multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Association, and New Jersey Press Foundation. Having taken time off from her education to raise her children, Julia will receive her associate’s degree with Honors in May of 2024.
Lara Salahi
Lara Salahi is an award-winning journalist known for her compelling storytelling and investigative reporting. She is also Distinguished Professor of Journalism at Endicott College in Massachusetts. With a passion for shedding light on underreported issues, she has covered a diverse range of topics including social justice, healthcare, and human rights. Her work has appeared in numerous regional, national and international television news programs and her byline has appeared in outlets including The Boston Globe, Stat, Medscape, and USA Today.
Lilian Kaivilu
Lilian is a multi-award winning journalist and Co-Founder Africa Solutions Media Hub, a non-profit media organization that uses Journalism to amplify social impact stories of changemakers in Africa. We do this by identifying and publishing stories of individuals, organizations and institutions that are offering scalable solutions to the challenges facing the
continent of Africa today. Lilian is passionate about telling African stories from a Solutions perspective; focusing on what is working in one part of the continent and using communication to showcase how it can be replicated elsewhere.
She has 14 years of experience in media in Kenya, United States and Impact Storytelling experience in the development world; having worked for World Bank (Kenya), United Nations World Food Programme, Johns Hopkins University and Dalberg Media.
Lilian is a Linguistics, Media and Communications graduate from Moi University Kenya, a MA Communication Studies student at the University of Nairobi, a Journalism graduate from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication and has completed other short courses including Civic Leadership, Data Journalism, Business Journalism, Health reporting and Financial Reporting at Strathmore Business School, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln among others.
Manon Verchot
Manon Verchot (she/her) is the co-founder and editor of In Old News, a media company that supports a diverse journalism ecosystem through trainings, stories and resources. Previously, Manon headed the video operations at publications like Mongabay, Hindustan Times and Mint. She wears many hats, having worked as a reporter, manager, trainer, producer, and editor. As an editor and trainer, Manon has worked with thousands of journalists from over 40 countries to help them with video, photography and audio projects. Her reporting work often focuses on the intersection between the environment and society.
Roberto Daza
Roberto Daza is an award-winning producer and cinematographer specializing in high-impact documentaries for television and the web.
Most recently, he produced investigations for VICE News on HBO and Showtime, many of which have won or been nominated for Emmys, including stories about a father in search of his missing children after the fall of ISIS’ caliphate, uprisings following the killing of George Floyd, and the pressure first responders faced during COVID’s first wave.
His work there saved a man from execution in Iraq and exposed decades of brutality by a police department in California to a national audience.
Roberto has also traveled the world for “The Naked Truth,” Fusion TV’s show on Netflix, which won a duPont-Columbia University Award and resulted in investigations into the radicalization of young people in Europe, the growing threat of fentanyl and the trafficking of student-athletes. The series has also been recognized by Scripps Howard Fund, the NIHCM Foundation, the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
While at Univision, he led the network’s first collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — a deep dive into the World Bank and its investments in developing countries. That partnership won awards from the New York Press Club, the Online News Association and the Overseas Press Club.
Sanshey Biswas
Sanshey Biswas (he/him) is a journalist who has been working with newsrooms to build their multimedia capacity using phones and emerging technologies since 2014. He started his career as a print journalist before working on leading Indian publications’ websites, social media and video strategies. He now runs In Old News, a media company that supports a global and diverse network of journalists through stories, trainings and other resources. He also reports and produces journalistic stories for media publications. Continuing to work on stories has helped him learn and apply new skills like animation and design.
Sonal Gupta
Sonal Gupta is a journalist, filmmaker, and facilitator based out of Vancouver, BC. With a Master’s degree in Journalism from UBC and documentary filmmaking hands on experience from Los Angeles, Sonal brings a filmmaker’s eye to her work, producing solution-focused stories that dive deeper than just facts. Her work, published in outlets like Mongabay and The Tyee, covers topics such as art and culture, food and climate change. Sonal has also co-authored the “Empowerment Journalism Guide” with the Global Reporting Centre that challenges traditional journalism, advocating for inclusive and community-involved storytelling. She has won awards like the Canadian Online Publishing Awards and the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award for her work. One of her short documentaries, “The Artist Motel,” was nominated for the 2023 Student Award of Excellence at the Canadian Association of Journalists. Sonal’s passion extends beyond traditional journalism, she also uses her skills to promote climate education in Canada and beyond, as well as diversity and inclusion in Canadian Parks and perinatal care system.
Stefanie Ritoper
Stefanie Ritoper is a producer for LAist’s early childhood coverage, who uses engagement-driven journalism to bring voices from parents, caregivers, and educators into the newsroom. She has led award-winning projects, including “Child Care, Unfiltered,” which turned child care providers’ photos into a series of audio stories, photo essays, events, and art installations around Southern California.
For close to 20 years, Stefanie has explored the intersection of media and civic engagement. She started her career in documentary filmmaking, and then moved into long-form podcast audio and multimedia storytelling. She has a master’s degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she focused on digital media tools and public participation.
Su Lin Tan
Tan Su Lin is an accomplished communications specialist with over 16 years of experience in media and environmental communication. She is a 2014 CNN Journalism Fellow and has won numerous awards throughout her career, specializing in environmental and science-related topics. In 2020, she co-founded Science Media Centre (SMC) Malaysia, championing effective science communication and evidence-based reporting. SMC is Malaysia’s first information resource center of its kind, supporting journalists in reporting complex and headline-making science issues.
Su Lin spearheaded the PANAS project in 2021, launching ‘PANAS! Climate Change Stories in Malaysia’ to engage local journalists, writers, and content creators in producing climate change stories, and the development of Malaysia’s inaugural digital toolkit, PANAS!, aimed at supporting the local media industry and content creators in addressing climate change. She holds an MA in Environment, Culture and Society from Lancaster University.
Tumaraj Koirala
Tumaraj Koirala, also known as Kala Anuragi, is a Kathmandu-based journalist with a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. With diverse roles from reporter to editor in national media outlets, he brings extensive experience. As the founder-chairperson and Editor-in-Chief of Grassroots Crab and Maruhiti.com, Tumaraj plans to implement solutions journalism in Nepali newsrooms, aiming to foster positive change and overcome language barriers. He pursues his MPhil-PhD in journalism while lecturing and advocating for Nepal’s journalistic progress, including teaching solutions journalism to students.
SJN’s next Train-the-Trainers will happen sometime during the summer. If you’re interested, please stay tuned on our training page and social channels!
