ICFJ Welcomes Knight Fellows Alan Soon and Rishad Patel

By: 05/24/2024

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is pleased to announce Alan Soon and Rishad Patel from Splice Media as new Knight Fellows beginning June 1. Soon and Patel, based in Singapore, will launch an innovative program called Splice Nano during their fellowship year.

Inspired by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's suggestion that AI could enable one-person, billion-dollar companies, Splice Nano aims to create 10 viable single-founder media startups powered by AI within 12 months. 

 


Soon and Patel co-founded Splice Media in 2015 to help news entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses that better serve users’ needs, create value and generate revenue. They also host the annual Splice Beta gathering in Chiang Mai, Thailand, fostering a community of digital media startups.

With decades of journalism and media entrepreneurship experience, Soon and Patel are well-equipped to guide solo founders in leveraging AI's potential. Soon is a career journalist turned certified coach who has worked across radio, TV, wires, magazines and digital media in Asia for over 20 years. Soon writes Splice Slugs, a weekly media intelligence newsletter. 

Patel is a veteran product and design leader who has developed media strategy, products and branding for global audiences. Patel’s newsletter, Splice Frames, is a weekly wrap of media products and design in the wild. 

Soon and Patel will join the new cohort of 2024 ICFJ Knight Fellows, including:

  • Sannuta Raghu (India): Using machine learning to tailor a more positive news experience through news formats customized for specific audiences
     
  • Mattia Peretti (UK): Reimagining journalism and finding new paths to sustainability in the age of AI by better listening to people’s information needs 
     
  • Nikita Roy (Canada): Developing AI literacy in newsrooms to help them use AI tools ethically and effectively
     
  • Luz Mely Reyes (Venezuela/U.S.): Building communities and resources for exiled journalists in the Americas
     
  • José J. Nieves (Cuba/U.S.): Creating a sustainability guide for journalists in exile
     
  • Daniel Nardin (Brazil): Training journalists in the Amazon to tell stories about the region from within it, and connecting them with international media and researchers
News Category
Country/Region

Latest News

Journalists to Investigate Education, Evictions & More With Support from ICFJ and News Corp

Four early-career journalists supported by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) will report on education, high school sports, eviction trends, and immigration enforcement. This financial support and mentorship are made possible by an ICFJ program supported by News Corp. It is designed to support early-career journalists around the world through training and reporting grants.

Sharon Moshavi on Journalism, Disinformation and Why Facts Still Matter

Sharon Moshavi, the president of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), recently joined the Ink and Insights podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of journalism and the evolving information ecosystem. The interview, hosted by author and storyteller Sumit Sharma Sameer, touched on the growing role of AI in both enhancing and undermining journalistic work, the importance of audience-centric innovation and why young reporters must build subject-matter and tech fluency to stay resilient in the industry.

ICFJ Knight Fellow Sannuta Raghu Says “Fidelity to Source” is Vital When Using AI

Newsrooms globally have begun exploring ways to convert their journalism into different formats using AI: for example, from text articles to videos, podcasts, infographics and more. As they do so, the core challenge isn’t just accuracy – it’s rigor. Journalists strive to get facts right and attribute them clearly, avoid bias, verify claims, and maintain transparency. When AI is used to convert a work of journalism from one form to another, the same rigor may not carry over.