A new digital learning platform for Pakistani journalists

The news in Pakistan these days leaves no rest for the weary – or, weary journalists, as the case may be.  

There are the ongoing trade talks with the United States, the tensions, and also a critical water treaty, with India, and Pakistan’s restive border with Iran. Keeping on top of these stories, and also local issues, requires journalists be digitally savvy and quick with research. How can reporters hone their skills in this fast-paced news cycle? 

Shehnaz Yousafzai, a Pakhtun journalist working for Tribal News Network in Pakistan, wanted to get more efficient at her job. However, she said, "access to training and opportunities, especially for women, can be limiting here."

In Pakistan, learning journalism skills has long depended on in-person workshops and conventional trainings. Both are often limited in reach, expensive, and inaccessible to many journalists in remote regions. And although some learning material on platforms like YouTube do exist, these lack structure, interaction and accountability.  

In response, DW Akademie developed mediaviability.com, an interactive e-learning platform that teaches reporting and editing skills and is available in several languages used in Pakistan.  

It has been, for Yousafzai, a real game-changer. 

“It’s an invaluable resource,” she said. “These e-learning courses helped me overcome many challenges by equipping me with the tools and strategies to innovate, build sustainable media practices, and engage audiences more effectively in a digital-first environment.” 

“The availability of these courses in Urdu made them even more accessible and easy to understand,” she continued, “removing language barriers and enabling deeper learning.” 

Proven value

According to Asif Khan, DW Akademie’s representative in Pakistan, the initiative "replicates the best aspects of training room dynamics, while offering self-paced courses enriched with multimedia, interactive exercises, and performance-tracking features."

Learners are not only supported through structured modules but are also recognized for their efforts with certificates and progress reports, he added. This boosts accountability and motivation.  

The initiative reflects a partnership between DW Akademie, Tribal News Network and Individualland under the Journalism of the Future project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Together, they created a digital platform that could meet the real needs of journalists and digital media outlets, with topics ranging from revenue generation, constructive journalism, fact checking, podcasting and climate reporting to AI in media and newsroom diversity. 

The platform has quickly proved its value and within just two months of its launch, the courses had been completed 382 times by 60 journalists from 19 media outlets, spanning Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh and other tribal regions. 

One of the most surprising and rewarding outcomes was the simultaneous skills garnered among the course developers themselves. Despite being some of Pakistan’s most well-respected journalism trainers and educators, many had never designed digital courses before. Through DW Akademie’s targeted training and support, these experts not only learned the basics of e-course development but also created their first-ever online training. 

Afia Salam, a senior journalist with Individualland, developed a climate change course for journalists with different skill levels. She found that while denialism on the topic is rare, explaining the science to readers and viewers can be hard. To assist with this, she brought in experts to discuss Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change.

“Many journalists just skim the surface so my attempt was to provide them with as many resources as possible, and specifically in the Urdu language, which is where most of the journalism today is happening,” she said.

“I tried to connect them to those who could explain the science, policies, diplomacy, the economics, so while working within their assigned beats, they can put a climate change lens on stories,” she added. 

Saving time and money

The platform, said Khan, stands out because it combines modern e-learning design with local relevance. Courses are grounded in the realities of Pakistani media while using state-of-the-art digital tools, including elements of artificial intelligence that enhance personalization and interactivity. 

Monetizing media, for instance, is an enormous hurdle in Pakistan, especially for small community channels, said Shereen Karim, a reporter at WomenTV. 

“Through the training, I learned more about how we can earn through brands, advertisements, partnerships,” she said. AI tools, she added, help her and her colleagues report faster and thereby save both time and money. 

“We can’t hire more staff nor pay big salaries,” she said. “AI helps us do more work with fewer people.”

Karim especially appreciates that the trainings were designed for journalists like herself, who work in remote areas. 

“I work in Gilgit-Baltistan,” she said. “It will always be a challenge to run small media outlets in under-reported regions, so we’re always looking out for trainings that help us find real solutions to our work.” 

The DW Akademie project mediaviability.com is supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Access is currently limited to a select cohort of journalists.