Recommendations

Robert Johnson

 12/8/2024
10

"Letter of Reference: Wanja Gathu
I have known the applicant for three academic years. I first met her in my role as Academic Supervisor of the William Southam Journalism Fellowship at Massey College, University of Toronto. I have stayed in touch with her since that time.
The William Southam Journalism Fellowship Program brings an average of five mid-career journalists to the U. of Toronto each year, offering them the equivalent of a sabbatical year in which to broaden their horizons. The prestigious program is now in its 60th year and its alumni are a Who's Who of Canadian journalism. Selection is a rigorous process, with the number of applicants approximately six
times greater than the number of fellowships available. As part of this program, Wanja Gathu was selected as recipient of the Gordon Fisher Fellowship.
Her training and work experience is in journalism in her native Kenya, where she has been a reporter for more than two decades. She is an outspoken advocate for human rights and critic of governmental abuses. She has been jailed for her writing, and has seen colleagues murdered for doing the same job. Although I have not taught her in a classroom, my contact with her has been through numerous lengthy conversations as well as a weekly luncheon seminar organized by the Fellows. In the latter forum, guests from all walks of life are invited for off-the-record conversation with the journalists. Guests have included prominent politicians, social justice advocates, novelists, poets. With five or six accomplished journalists sitting around the luncheon table, it is sometimes hard get a word in. But Wanja has more than held her own in these discussions. She is a good listener and an articulate questioner, not hesitant to express an opinion or challenge someone else's.

Most recently I had an exchange with her about my own interpretation of the Russia-Ukraine war, in which she politely but firmly dissented from some of my conclusions, challenging basic points of my argument. Each time I thought I had made a convincing rebuttal, she came up with an answer that cast doubt on it. She is deeply committed to the field of peace journalism, which she sees as integrally connected with the many other human rights issues (e.g., rights of women and LGBTQ, the rights of prisoners of conscience, police brutality, freedom of expression) that she has covered. As a reporter and editor she personally experienced some of the the worst repressive measures of the former regime of
Daniel Arap Moi.

Intellectually and morally, she is an outstanding candidate for employment and/or further study. She will be a welcome presence any program or organization, both for her broad experiential base and for her warm human qualities.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance. I can be reached at: 647-236-5284.

Sincerely,


Robert E. Johnson
"

Related persons

Robert Johnson

 12/8/2024
10

"Letter of Reference: Wanja Gathu
I have known the applicant for three academic years. I first met her in my role as Academic Supervisor of the William Southam Journalism Fellowship at Massey College, University of Toronto. I have stayed in touch with her since that time.
The William Southam Journalism Fellowship Program brings an average of five mid-career journalists to the U. of Toronto each year, offering them the equivalent of a sabbatical year in which to broaden their horizons. The prestigious program is now in its 60th year and its alumni are a Who's Who of Canadian journalism. Selection is a rigorous process, with the number of applicants approximately six
times greater than the number of fellowships available. As part of this program, Wanja Gathu was selected as recipient of the Gordon Fisher Fellowship.
Her training and work experience is in journalism in her native Kenya, where she has been a reporter for more than two decades. She is an outspoken advocate for human rights and critic of governmental abuses. She has been jailed for her writing, and has seen colleagues murdered for doing the same job. Although I have not taught her in a classroom, my contact with her has been through numerous lengthy conversations as well as a weekly luncheon seminar organized by the Fellows. In the latter forum, guests from all walks of life are invited for off-the-record conversation with the journalists. Guests have included prominent politicians, social justice advocates, novelists, poets. With five or six accomplished journalists sitting around the luncheon table, it is sometimes hard get a word in. But Wanja has more than held her own in these discussions. She is a good listener and an articulate questioner, not hesitant to express an opinion or challenge someone else's.

Most recently I had an exchange with her about my own interpretation of the Russia-Ukraine war, in which she politely but firmly dissented from some of my conclusions, challenging basic points of my argument. Each time I thought I had made a convincing rebuttal, she came up with an answer that cast doubt on it. She is deeply committed to the field of peace journalism, which she sees as integrally connected with the many other human rights issues (e.g., rights of women and LGBTQ, the rights of prisoners of conscience, police brutality, freedom of expression) that she has covered. As a reporter and editor she personally experienced some of the the worst repressive measures of the former regime of
Daniel Arap Moi.

Intellectually and morally, she is an outstanding candidate for employment and/or further study. She will be a welcome presence any program or organization, both for her broad experiential base and for her warm human qualities.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance. I can be reached at: 647-236-5284.

Sincerely,


Robert E. Johnson
"