New Delhi. Ankit Pachauri, Deputy Editor of The Mooknayak, who has been consistently reporting on issues related to social justice, environment, and marginalized communities, has been selected for the prestigious Voices Fellowship organized by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune. This fellowship was part of a five-day special training program held from December 16 to 20, in which around 40 journalists selected from across the country participated.

This training was conducted under IISER Pune's 'CARE Project'. The objective of the program was to equip journalists with a scientific perspective, data-driven understanding, and modern journalism tools for reporting on science, environment, and climate change.

Journalists from print, digital, and independent media from various states of India participated in this fellowship. During the training, special sessions were held on the scientific basis of climate change, the difference between weather and climate, data journalism, techniques for understanding research papers, fact-checking, visualization tools, and linking ground reporting with scientific facts.

Scientists, researchers, and experienced environmental science journalists organized interactive sessions during the program. The purpose of these sessions was to help journalists understand how to present complex scientific subjects to ordinary readers in simple, clear, and reliable language. The mentors for the fellowship were senior journalists Nidhi Jamwal and Hirdesh Joshi. Meanwhile, Dr. Shalini Sharma, Principal Scientist of the CARE Project, served as the coordinator of this fellowship.

Pachauri shared about the fellowship, stating that this training gave him the understanding to view climate change not just as an environmental crisis, but as an issue connected to social justice, health, livelihoods, and constitutional rights.

He added that maintaining a balance between data, research, and field reporting is extremely important in science journalism. During this fellowship, he learned several digital tools and techniques that can be used to present climate change-related issues in a more effective and authentic manner.

Ankit Pachauri is currently working as the Deputy Editor at The Mooknayak. He has been continuously reporting on issues related to Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes, environment, climate change, and constitutional values.

His ground-level reporting from various Adivasi areas of Madhya Pradesh has brought the problems of marginalized communities into the national discourse. Along with journalism, he is continuously strengthening his understanding of sensitive and responsible reporting through fellowships, workshops, and study programs. Recently, Ankit participated as a fellow in the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia.