Piyumi Fonseka - Journalist Profile | Connect with top journalists

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Biography

Piyumi Fonseka is an award winning Sri Lankan journalist passionate about investigative journalism. Started her career in 2014 as a cub reporter, she has been in the field for nearly 10 years, having covered many local and regional issues. Until recently, she served as the Deputy Editor for Investigations at the Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka’s most circulated daily English print outlet, where she specialized in social issues investigations. At the Daily Mirror, she managed and provided content for EYE, a column dedicated to rooting out facts many people often want to keep hidden, re-establishing fairness, and shining light in dark places through investigative journalism. She believes her outlook on journalism changed when she took up an offer to pursue a Post Graduate Certificate in Mass Communication at the Malayalam Manorama School of Communication in Kerala, India, after bagging the award for Young Journalist of the Year (2015) at the annual Editors’ Guild Awards. Acing through her course work, she was recognized by the Manorama School of Journalism, for presenting the Best Investigation Report in 2017 for her work in highlighting the plight of Tamil Sri Lankan refugees, languishing in the Tamil Nadu refugee camps. Later in the same year, her work was shortlisted for the Young Journalist Award in 2017, organized by the Thomson Foundation and the Foreign Press Association of the UK. Piyumi is also the recipient of the Investigative Journalist of the Year (2021) award at the Sri Lankan Journalism Awards for Excellence organized by the Sri Lanka Press Institute and Editors’ Guild. On a freelance basis, she is also contributing feature articles to the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Washington Post. She was the first Sri Lankan journalist in 28 years to have been selected for World Press Institute fellowship in the USA and also the first female journalist ever to have undergone the fellowship from Sri Lanka. For 2 and half months, she travelled across 9 states of the USA, studying about challenges faced by American journalists. Piyumi also successfully completed an International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) organized by the State Department in the USA early this year, studying about American media and best practices of the media field. Previously, she has won fellowships and attended a number of international training programmes and workshops including Future News Worldwide Conference in London, United Kingdom, organized by the British Council, Scotland in July 2019, Third Asian Investigative Journalism Conference held in South Korea, organized by Global Investigative Journalism Network and Newstapa in July 2018 and 11th Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Hamburg, Germany, organized by Global Investigative Journalism Network in September 2019.

Content

Total articles 26

• Available on paid plans

  How to Keep Kids Healthy this Winter

  By Piyumi Fonseka, Annapolis Pediatrics, Claire Darcy

  Dec. 04, 2023

• Available on paid plans

  "Life is difficult": Sri Lanka's economic crisis leaves elderly homeless and penniless

  By Piyumi Fonseka

  Feb. 12, 2023

• Available on paid plans

  How to Keep Kids Healthy this Winter

  By Piyumi Fonseka, Annapolis Pediatrics, Claire Darcy

  Dec. 04, 2023

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Company Info

Context

Context Travel is a travel company founded in 2003 by Paul Bennett and Lani Bevacqua. The company focuses on providing immersive and educational travel experiences that connect travelers with local culture. As a Certified B Corporation, Context Travel emphasizes sustainable tourism practices that benefit both visitors and local communities. The company specializes in personalized, unscripted walking tours led by local experts, including historians, architects, and cultural specialists. These tours cater to intellectually curious travelers who seek in-depth experiences beyond traditional sightseeing. Context Travel operates in over 60 cities across six continents, offering a variety of tours that explore the cultural and historical contexts of each location. Context Travel attracts lifelong learners who appreciate enriching travel experiences. The tours are designed for those interested in understanding the cultural underpinnings of cities and engaging with local communities, fostering a deeper appreciation for the places they visit.