The developments in digital media have changed the journalism industry all around the globe and contributed in journalistic independence, autonomy and sustainability. Considering its impact, the Pakistan Entrepreneurial Journalism Program (PEJP) was launched by Global Neighbourhood for Media Innovation (GNMI) in 2020, to ensure that Pakistani journalist community adheres to the new media canvas in order to keep the press safe in the country.

The program caters to the need to promote entrepreneurial journalism and build capacity of journalists in using technology and brand marketing for broadening the scale and number of independent news media outlets in Pakistan. This could be beneficial in strengthening the journalist community and democratizing media.

This program aims to increase journalists’ autonomy and financial independence by providing them essential training and resources to launch their own independent digital news outlets. It means no more layoffs, salary cuts, and self-censorship.

PEJP is divided in three phases. Following are details of the phases:

Phase 1: 

In this Phase, journalists, digital news content creators, and independent bloggers/vloggers from across Pakistan applied for a three-day training program on Entrepreneurial Journalism held in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore in January 2021. The training helped applicants understand online content creation and production techniques along with giving them an insight into digital platforms and, most essentially, increased their knowledge about brand strategy and monetization techniques.

Phase 2: 

In second Phase of PEJP, training participants of Phase 1 submitted detailed narrative and financial proposals of their online news media startup ideas during February 2021. Of all submissions, twenty startup ideas will be selected for further development. After the selection, participants of Phase 2 will attend more advanced and technical training and one-on-one mentorship. This will help participants craft their startup ideas into a sustainable business model by understanding their target audience’s needs and building revenue opportunities. 

Phase 3: 

In this Phase, the participants/startups will be provided opportunity to showcase their work in front of industry leaders, key stakeholders and media in a product launch ceremony at the end of year 2021.