Writing and multimedia skills. Critical thinking. Data analysis. Fact-checking. Media literacy.

We are a group of media professionals whose mission is to open the doors to the world of publishing by supporting young people participating in the Harbingers’ Magazine project.

We believe that learning journalism creates a positive feedback loop between our students’ interests and their educational environment.

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Latest news

Announcement! These are the winners of the Harbinger Prize 2024

September 30 - The Oxford School for the Future of Journalism (OXSFJ) is excited to announce the winners of the Harbinger Prize 2024!
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The Harbinger Prize 2024 shortlist announcement

September 5 - The Oxford School for the Future of Journalism is thrilled to announce the shortlist for the Harbinger Prize 2024.
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Harbingers’ Magazine kicks off its summer newsroom in Oxford

Oxford, United Kingdom, August 1 - The Oxford School for the Future of Journalism commenced its second pop-up newsroom for this year in Oxford in its series of summer programmes for students from across the world.
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Harbingers’ editorial team takes over Washington DC

Washington DC, July 4 - Members of the Harbingers’ Magazine Editorial Board alongside their mentors from the Oxford School for the Future of Journalism (OXSFJ) are now in Washington DC to report on US political affairs.
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Harbingers’ Magazine team shines at DW Global Media Forum 2024

Bonn, Germany, June 19 – The Harbingers’ Magazine team’s presence at the DW Global Media Forum underscored the potential of youth-driven media initiatives to contribute to the global conversation on journalism and media solutions.
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Teen voices of Harbingers' Magazine are proud to support the LGBTQIA+ community

June 7, 2024 - As Harbingers' launches its inaugural Pride Month, the Oxford School for the Future of Journalism (OXSFJ) extends a warm invitation to members of the LGBTQIA+ community to participate in The Harbinger Prize 2024.
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The Harbinger Prize 2024: Elevating teen voices in journalism

Oxford, UK, April 17 – The Oxford School for the Future of Journalism (OXSFJ) is thrilled to announce The Harbinger Prize 2024, a ground-breaking initiative designed to spotlight and support the journalistic talents of teenagers from around the globe.
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The OXSFJ joins IPSO, elevating standards in student journalism

May 6, 2024 - In a significant development for media ethics and journalistic standards, the Oxford School for the Future of Journalism (OXSFJ) has officially joined the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), effective from April 8, 2024.
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OXSFJ’s Academic Director discusses the RUTA Association’s mission 

Oriente Medio News from Chile interviewed Tatev Hovhannisyan about her her role in the newly-founded RUTA Association for Central, South-Eastern, Eastern Europe, Baltic, Caucasus, Central, and Northern Asia Studies.

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A current affairs magazine where the youngest of adults make all editorial decisions and discuss on subjects that are relevant to them.

Harbingers’ Magazine is the learning environment of the Oxford School for the Future of Journalism — a magazine where every pitch, article and podcast episode results from our students working on their journalism-related skills.

Join us to shape the magazine. Whether you will be a writer, editor, multimedia creator or illustrator, media professionals with years of experience will be there to support you every step of the way.

Editor’s pick:

Join us online

  • Essential Journalism: News, Opinion & Feature writing
    Organised upon request
    Distant Learning

    This comprehensive online course allows young adults with no prior experience in journalism to prepare their first articles for Harbingers’ Magazine. The course can be taught individually or in a group of up to three students and should result in every student having published three or four articles.

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Our team

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    Stas Skarzynski

    Founder
    CEO

    Stas Skarzynski

    Founder
    CEO

    During a career of over 15 years, Stas was a co-founder and deputy editor-in-chief of the NGO-run fact-checking and investigative journalism outlet OKO.press, the managing editor of the Gazeta Wyborcza opinion section and its UK and international affairs correspondent. Between 2010 and 2016, he was the producer of political interviews at Radio ZET.

    He graduated from the Warsaw University’s Institute of Applied Social Sciences with a specialisation in political philosophy. His writing appeared in Die Welt, Le Figaro, and The Diplomat; he also commented for the BBC. In 2016, he won the Grand Press News Award for an investigation into corruption at the Ministry of Defence of Poland, and the Green Prus Award.

    In 2021, after a year of research, Stas founded the Oxford School for the Future of Journalism and its Harbingers’ Magazine project.

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    Tatev Hovhannisyan

    Editor-in-chief
    Academic director

    Tatev Hovhannisyan

    Editor-in-chief
    Academic director

    Based in Armenia, Tatev is an international investigative journalist and editor with 13 years of editorial experience. Until August of 2023, she was openDemocracy’s Europe and Eurasia editor. Her writing has appeared in numerous international media outlets, including the BBC, Euronews, and the Guardian.

    Tatev is also a lecturer at the Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences.

    In 2023, Tatev received the Journalists for Human Rights 2023 award for her investigation into illegal adoptions. In 2022, she won an Emma Goldman Award for innovative research on feminist and inequality issues in Europe – the first time a journalist has won the award.

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    Kimberly Yanez

    Managing editor
    Head of communications

    Kimberly Yanez

    Managing editor
    Head of communications

    Kimberly Yanez is a seasoned Venezuelan Communications Specialist based in Canada. Her career has seen her transition seamlessly between the fast-paced world of beat journalism, where she covered everything from community issues to national crises, and the creative realm of copywriting, crafting compelling narratives for products and brands.

    Whether reporting on the ground or developing engaging content strategies, her work is characterized by a commitment to storytelling that resonates with diverse audiences.

    She holds a Joint University Master’s Degree in Journalism, Media, and Globalization from Aarhus University and the University of Amsterdam, a testament
    to her academic pursuit of understanding the media’s intricate dance with society.

    But beyond the degrees and accolades, it’s the stories that have shaped her – the whispered confessions of a community in crisis, the triumphant tales of brands
    breaking barriers. Now, she pretty much loves passing her knowledge to a new generation of ethical writers at Harbinger’s Magazine.

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    Cath Phillips

    Managing editor

    Cath Phillips

    Managing editor

    Cath Phillips has more than 30 years’ experience as an editor, copy editor and proofreader in the UK across a variety of publications. Among these are international news website openDemocracy, travel outlet Time Out – including numerous city guides (Europe, the US, Asia and Australia), restaurant guides for London and the UK – plus museum exhibition catalogues and art books,and architecture and design magazines.

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    Lucy Martirosyan

    Multimedia editor

    Lucy Martirosyan

    Multimedia editor

    Originally from Boston, now based in Yerevan, Lucy is a freelance, multimedia journalist reporting on human rights issues across Eastern Europe, the South
    Caucasus, and Central Asia. Previously, they investigated backlash against LGBTIQ and women’s rights in Europe and Eurasia for openDemocracy.

    Before that, Lucy produced radio for a daily American foreign affairs show, “The World”, a co-production of PRX/PRI, GBH, and formerly the BBC World Service in Boston.

    Lucy holds a dual master’s degree in journalism and international human rights and humanitarian action from Sciences Po in Paris. They speak English/French/Russian and are currently learning Armenian.

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    Zuzanna Bialecka​​​​

    Photo editor

    Zuzanna Bialecka​​​​

    Photo editor

    Born and based in Warsaw, Zuzanna is an audiovisual artist. She graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and now combines working at the OXSFJ alongside theatres. She is closest to the film medium, but she also enjoys working in graphics, photography and music.

    She has had several group and solo exhibitions in Warsaw, Bristol, Venice, Lublin, Zamość and Łódź. In the meantime, she creates set designs and costumes for theatre (Theater and Dance Center in Warsaw, Rampa Theatre, Klub Komediowy) and works as an acoustician.

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    Sofiya Tkachenko

    Publisher

    Sofiya Tkachenko

    Publisher

    Based in Austria, originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, Sofiya is a former editor-in-chief of Harbingers’ Magazine, who is now a part of the Harbinger Fellow programme. For Harbingers’ she wrote about Women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and the War in Ukraine.

    Sofiya is also a student at the University of Vienna and will start her studies in Biology in September.

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    Carolina Loza León

    Journalist

    Carolina Loza León

    Journalist

    Carolina Loza León is a freelance journalist and producer covering the intersection of the Global South, human rights and foreign policy, covering Ecuador, Colombia and beyond. Carolina has contributed to outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, Rest of World, TRT World among others. In 2021, her investigation on illegal detentions of Ecuadorian fishermen on high seas was recognized with Ecuador’s premier journalism prize, the Jorge Mantilla Ortega Award.

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    Tharushi Weerasinghe

    Journalist

    Tharushi Weerasinghe

    Journalist

    Tharushi Weerasinghe is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, specializing in environmental issues, politics, and social justice reporting. Her work appears in the Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) and other regional publications.

    Her climate journalism includes on-ground reporting from the United Nation’s COP27 (Egypt) and COP28 (UAE) have exposed state mismanagement of resources and ecologically damaging policy-making within Sri Lanka. She was also an on-ground reporter of the “Aragalaya”, the Sri Lankan anti-government protests that took place in 2022.

    Weerasinghe is a multiple grant awardee fellow at the Earth Journalism Network and Stanley Centre for Peace and Security. She was awarded the Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year 2023 award and the Upali Wijewardene Best Feature Writer of the Year 2023 award by the Sri Lanka Press Institute and Editor’s Guild. She was also the two-time winner of the aforementioned Young Reporter of the Year Merit award in 2021 and 2022. She is also the Lakshman Kadirgamar Scholar of 2024 to the Manorama School of Communication in Kerala, India where she is currently studying journalism alongside a law degree from the University of London.

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    Konrad Radecki-Mikulicz

    Head of sales

    Konrad Radecki-Mikulicz

    Head of sales

    In the media and PR industry for almost two decades as a journalist and producer, Konrad collaborated with Polish Television (TVP), Polish Radio, investigative journalism outlet OKO.press and Gazeta Wyborcza. He also worked as a PR consultant and political campaign strategist for European, parliamentary and presidential elections in Poland. In 2016 received the Grand Press award.

    Combining his work with activism, Konrad served as a chief press officer for the “Save the women” bill Civic Committee. He also founded a non-profit initiative for women’s rights and animal welfare.

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    Bal Krishna Sah

    Journalist

    Bal Krishna Sah

    Journalist

    Bal Krishna Sah holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Tribhuvan University in Nepal, with an expertise in knowledge management.

    He started his journalism career with The Himalayan Times, Nepal’s No. 1 English National Daily. Prior to this he taught social studies and science in an English boarding school located in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, for five years.

    He chiefly writes for The Himalayan Times on science and politics, including diplomacy, human rights, and social issues, and manages OXSFJ’s Nepal project.

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    Shristi Kafle

    Journalist

    Shristi Kafle

    Journalist

    Shristi Kafle is a freelance journalist based in Kathmandu, Nepal with a decade-long experience in media. She mostly writes on foreign affairs, Nepal-China relations, environment and climate change, among other contemporary issues.

    She started her journalism career by working on Nepali Television channels Sagarmatha TV and Mountain TV. In 2015, she joined Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency (Nepal Bureau) as a Correspondent, where her major tasks included producing news, interviews, special reports and feature stories for Xinhua wire service, in addition to producing video stories.

    She has covered the earthquake of 2015, the pandemic in 2020, air crashes in Nepal, and various other disasters. Her stories are picked by different national and international media. Some of her works can be read here.

    In 2021, she left her full-time job to pursue freelancing and consultancy work. Since then, she mostly contributes to different Chinese media platforms and the national English daily Annapurna Express. She also writes on environment and climate change for The Third Pole. Besides this, she is also an Executive Board Member at the Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ), where she assists in executing projects and activities related to the environment.

    Apart from journalism, Kafle is a co-founder of the Nepali podcast Period Kaa Kura, focused on women’s health and menstruation. She holds a Masters Degree in English Literature and Bachelors in Journalism from Tribhuvan University. She has been associated with OXSFJ’s Nepal project since October, 2023.

When we daydream, imagination takes us a decade forward to a world where people who made their first steps in journalism by joining Harbingers’ Magazine are spread throughout newsrooms in every corner of the world. Reporters, investigators, analysts, podcasters, columnists, broadcasters, producers, anchors, managers — all making a difference much earlier than the previous generations were able to.

About the OXSFJ

The Oxford School for the Future of Journalism is the publisher of Harbingers’ Magazine. Based in Oxford, United Kingdom, the OXSFJ is a global team of media and communication professionals who mentor teenage journalists and editors through the Harbingers’ project.

The OXSFJ, launched in 2021, is a not-for-profit, limited company. Its constitution bars it from distributing dividends—all profits from our projects must be invested in education in journalism and related fields through scholarships for talented youth and underserved communities. Currently, we teach English and media-related skills to teenagers in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Tanzania, and the Harbinger Prize competition offers teenagers worldwide open access to the project.

We also offer individual and group mentorship: online, during summer pop-up newsrooms, and on bespoke reporting trips.

 

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Contact:

office@oxsfj.com
+44 (0) 1865 60 21 46

The Oxford School for the Future of Journalism
266 Banbury Road | Office 14
Oxford OX2 7DL | United Kingdom

Please note that the OXSFJ and Harbingers’ Magazine are fully digital organisations. Effectively, we do not hold a permanent office, and the abovementioned address is for correspondence only.