Truth Matters Fellowship Enhances Pakistan’s Journalism Landscape

News Desk

Islamabad: The first workshop of the “Truth Matters: Empowering Journalists through Digital Storytelling” fellowship program concluded in Islamabad. 

Held at the Grand Regency Hotel, this three-day training brought together 20 Kashmiri journalists, including 15 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and five from various cities across Pakistan, with a balanced representation of male and female participants.

The fellowship aims to enhance journalists’ skills in digital storytelling, fact-checking, investigative reporting, and media ethics.

Over the course of the next three months, fellows will attend additional workshops to strengthen their journalistic foundations in ethical and impactful reporting.

Following the training, participants will apply their newly acquired skills by producing stories on a variety of topics.The workshop kicked off with Shazia Mahboob, an expert in media ethics and investigative journalism, who led a session on responsible reporting practices. 

Renowned investigative journalist Raiz ul Haq followed with a session on key techniques in investigative journalism, enabling journalists to uncover and report complex stories with accuracy and depth. On the second day, Haq returned to conduct an intensive session on fact-checking, artificial intelligence in journalism, and combating disinformation.

Fatima Nazish, a prominent journalist and former editor of Deutsche Welle in Bonn, Germany, then led a session on digital storytelling, pitch writing for electronic and digital media, and sensitive reporting on gender and minority issues. Her session emphasized the importance of inclusive and nuanced reporting in today’s media landscape.

The final day opened with a session by Aly Mojeeb, who discussed digital media opportunities, safety and security, as well as grant writing and climate change reporting.

The workshop concluded with an insightful session by renowned investigative journalist Umer Cheema, focusing on source management, investigative story writing, and maintaining safety and security in journalism.

The “Truth Matters” fellowship program reflects a commitment to enhancing Pakistan’s media landscape by empowering journalists with practical skills and ethical guidelines. Fellows will now proceed to produce impactful stories on a range of topics, applying the advanced techniques they have acquired throughout this comprehensive training. This initiative marks a significant step in promoting fact-checking and responsible storytelling across Pakistan.