Each month, IJNet features an international journalist who exemplifies the profession and has used the site to further his or her career. If you would like to be featured, email a short bio and a paragraph about how you have used IJNet here.
This month we feature multimedia journalist Rajneesh Bhandari from Nepal, who has contributed to news organizations including PBS, BBC, BBC Radio 5 Live, Los Angeles Times, Headlines Today and AFP. Bhandari is a multimedia team leader of ThinkBrigade.com, an international website with reporters around the world. He is a Transparency International anti-corruption young journalist, the author of an iPad book on autism, UNESCO’s youth journalist/blogger 2011 and ILO’s Youth Journalist 2012. He recently joined Xinhua News Agency's Nepal Bureau as a multimedia journalist. Previously, he worked with the popular Kantipur Television station in Nepal, where he was awarded 2010-2011 Journalist of the Year for his investigative report on the country's passport corruption scandal.
How has IJNet helped you?
Ever since I learned about IJNet I have been constantly following it, mainly because it gives me information and skills about the latest trends and things happening in the journalism world. I have really liked the information provided [about] investigative reporting, and it has helped me immensely in carrying out various investigative issues in my country. I constantly follow articles and interviews about digital technology and multimedia journalism. And it’s always great to be informed about journalistic trainings, fellowships, webinars or workshops happening around the world. One of the trainings that I recently took was New Media, New Challenges: Best Practices In the Digital Age.
How do you get your ideas for stories?
I always refer to my own stories and try to find a new angle for new developments. I also develop story ideas by observing my surroundings while traveling or while Internet surfing. I also search social media for story angles.
What has been your best story or work so far?
I did an investigative story about the red passport scam in Nepal. The red passport scam remains one of the biggest corruption scandals in Nepal in 2011. Cases against four lawmakers along with half a dozen government officials is underway in the Special Court—a court that specifically looks after corruption cases.
I also produced a free to download iPad book--the first from Nepal--about autism, a subject highly ignored by the mainstream media.
What advice would you give aspiring journalists?
A journalist needs to be multi-talented in today’s world. Since multimedia is what the world is looking for, he/she needs to learn all the skills required to be a multimedia journalist. While a great achievement requires time, being a good journalist also requires patience and courage to explore the unexplored.
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