Four Journalists. One Legacy. The Sander Thoenes Scholarship Takes Off.
The inaugural Sander Thoenes Scholarship brought four emerging journalists from Indonesia and Timor-Leste to the Netherlands for intensive training in investigative reporting and digital media skills.
RNTC hosted the first cohort of the Sander Thoenes Scholarship from 2 to 10 February 2026 in the Netherlands, marking the launch of a programme designed to honour the legacy of Dutch journalist Sander Thoenes, killed while reporting on the conflict in Timor-Leste in 1999.
The scholarship is a partnership between the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Indonesia, and RNW Media. It targets emerging journalists from Indonesia and Timor-Leste, the region where Thoenes worked and lost his life.
For Juan Robin, a journalist at Narasi in Indonesia, the programme's connection to Sander made it compelling from the start. "I was inspired by the story of Sander Thoenes, by his bravery and courage in the face of adversity," he said. "I also wanted to learn more about the Dutch media and press landscape."
The certified five-day intensive training gave participants practical tools to report in a complex and often challenging information environment. Workshops and expert-led sessions covered digital research, fact-checking and verification, ethical reporting, narrative development, and content creation, with a strong focus on disinformation resilience and public-interest journalism.
For Antónia Kastono Martins, a journalist from Timor-Leste, the training expanded what she thought was possible in her day-to-day work. "Professionally, the programme was highly resourceful," she said. "We began learning about investigative tools we had not used before. Previously, our work relied mainly on curiosity, asking questions, and determination."
The programme also included two days of site visits in The Hague and Amsterdam. In The Hague, participants visited the Dutch House of Representatives, the NOS political desk, the European Commission Representation in the Netherlands, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In Amsterdam, they engaged with the Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten (NVJ), investigative outlets Follow the Money and Investico, and de Volkskrant, with time for informal networking and reporting for their own publications.
Step Vaessen, Al Jazeera journalist, friend of Sander Thoenes, and one of the initiators of the scholarship, was clear about what the programme is designed to preserve. "Journalism is in a very difficult and challenging position right now," she said. "With this scholarship, we want to show the future generation of journalists how important the profession is, and what it means to stay true to its core tenets: objectivity, fact-based reporting, bravery. The values that Sander Thoenes stood for."
Ricardo Valente Araujo, a journalist with Gen-Z Talk in Timor-Leste, said the scholarship demonstrated something important for young journalists in the region. "This programme shows that young people can meaningfully participate in civic and social issues in countries like Timor-Leste." He added that the cohort shared a strong wish for the programme to continue, "in honour of Sander and the many young journalists who came after him, and who are still fighting the good fight."
A new round of the scholarship is expected to be announced before the end of 2026 with trainings planned for early 2027 in the Netherlands.
The Sander Thoenes Scholarship is a partnership between the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Indonesia, and RNW Media/RNTC.
Sander Thoenes Scholarship for Journalists – FPCIndonesia
Sander Thoenes Program for Journalist 2026 - Indonesia | The Netherlands and Indonesia
De nalatenschap van journalist Sander Thoenes | NPO Radio 1