Rappler’s Gelo Gonzales named 2026 East-West Center Jefferson Fellow

FELLOW. Rappler's Gelo Gonzales, senior multimedia reporter for tech, is one of the 12 fellows for the 2026 Jeffersons.

Rappler

The three-week fellowship will bring journalists to Honolulu, Tokyo, and Seoul to examine artificial intelligence’s impact on societies and economic security in the Asia-Pacific region

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler senior multimedia reporter Gelo Gonzales, who covers technology and its impact on society, is among 12 journalists selected for the East-West Center’s 2026 Jefferson Fellowships.

This year’s fellowship, themed “New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence: Navigating AI’s Impacts on Societies and Economic Security in the Asia-Pacific Region,” will explore the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI) across the region.

The program, organized by the Honolulu-based East-West Center, will run from October 25 to November 12, 2026, taking fellows to Honolulu, Tokyo, and Seoul for a three-week reporting and study tour.

The Jefferson Fellowships is the East-West Center’s flagship journalism program, aimed at enhancing public understanding of cultures, issues, and trends in the Indo-Pacific region through news media.

This year’s program will examine how AI is transforming economies and societies, from its potential to improve public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture to its implications for employment, economic inequality, data privacy, and the environment. It will also explore concerns that developing economies could be left behind in the AI revolution due to limited connectivity, unreliable power grids, and shortages of technological skills.

During the fellowship, journalists will meet with government officials, researchers, business leaders, and civil society representatives. They will also visit healthcare facilities, laboratories, schools, AI-driven manufacturing facilities, chip makers, and farms to see firsthand how the technology is being deployed.

Gonzales served as Rappler’s technology editor from 2016 to 2025, then specialized on covering technology as a senior multimedia reporter in 2026. He also worked as a lifestyle writer and editor for FHM Philippines from 2009 to 2016.

His reporting focuses on technology and its intersections with society, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and technology policy.

Gonzales is one of two Filipino journalists among this year’s 12 fellows, along with Purple Romero, digital verification editor, at Agence France-Presse’s Hong Kong bureau.

Here is the full list of fellows for 2026:

• Anusha BRADLEY, investigative reporter, Radio New Zealand, New Zealand
• Ju Min (Amy) CHIEN, freelance reporter and researcher, The New York Times, Taiwan
• Chiara EISNER, investigative correspondent, NPR, United States
• Diwash GAHATRAJ, freelance journalist, India
• Gelo GONZALES, senior multimedia reporter, Rappler, Philippines
• Sae Eun (Jen) KWON, digital journalist, CBS News, South Korea
• Sufani LUAN, news correspondent, CNN Indonesia, Indonesia
• Louise MATSAKIS, senior business editor, WIRED magazine, United States
• Purple ROMERO, digital verification editor, Agence France-Presse, Hong Kong
• Inwook SONG, producer and writer, CNN, United States
• Anshuman TIWARI, editor, The Bonus, Amar Ujala, India
• Stephen VINEY, digital editor, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia