At the “Essential Tools for Pakistani Journalists" workshop 
on Zoom and live in Islamabad.

Pakistani journalists explore challenges, AI, peace journalism
If you want a lengthy, detailed conversation, ask a Pakistani reporter to list the challenges faced by journalists in their country.

This is exactly what I did during a Zoom discussion last night with about 20 Pakistani journalist during the launch event of a multi-year project called, “Essential Tools for Pakistani Journalists.”

As the reporters listed their challenges, several themes repeatedly surfaced. One was a lack of official sources and access to credible information, which in turn helps to fuel rumors and mis and disinformation. The sad economic state of the media was also mentioned repeatedly, including newsroom downsizing, poor salaries, and inadequate resources needed to facilitate reporting. The third major theme that emerged was about biased, subjective, and polarizing reporting—a fact exacerbated by political pressure exerted by media house owners who are themselves politicians, or in bed with politicians. Also, the reporters decried a lack of training for journalists in identifying and combating disinformation and deepfakes. Finally, the journalists cited concerns about censorship, and about a flimsy legal framework and judicial system that offers no legal cover for investigative reporters who are just trying to do their jobs.

At the introductory session, I also presented the basics of peace journalism, and discussed how this is especially relevant in the ongoing Pakistan vs. India context. This led us into an introduction of mis and disinformation, and another discussion about the extent of the problem in Pakistan. The journalists said that “influencer journalism” and citizen journalism are problematic, and that the false information they spread discredits professional media outlets, even though these outlets aren’t responsible for the lies and vitriol spread on social media. 

We also briefly discussed AI, and whether it’s ethical for AI to write stories for journalists. Most said no, although they expressed a collective trepidation about a future when economically distressed media owners might turn to AI writers and reporters instead of their human counterparts.

In March, I meet this lively group of journalists for a three day in-person seminar in Islamabad that builds upon the themes we discussed last night. I very much look forward to continuing our interactions.

The “Essential Tools for Pakistani Journalists” project is sponsored by the East-West Center, supported by Coca-Cola Pakistan, and administered by Rohtas Communications/Pakistan.

Discussing challenges faced by Pakistani 
journalists at the zoom session on 1/6.

Peace journalism: An innovative approach to global challenges
I was honored to be one of the presenters at last week’s Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education's virtual conference, Innovative Approaches for Global Challenges. (see agenda here.)  

The innovative approach I discussed was peace journalism, naturally. We had a lively discussion about the nature of peace journalism. One interesting question was about who gets to decide what is and is not peace journalism. My reply was that this depends on the local context. I’ve taught PJ in 40 countries and territories, and what constitutes peace journalism, and more broadly what constitutes ethical journalism, depends on the country and the situation. What is ethical from a PJ perspective in Cameroon, during a civil conflict, certainly differs from what might be considered ethical journalism in Austria. It's up to local journalists, not me, to evaluate whether media content is consistent with the principles of peace journalism. 

To further this discussion, we looked at some images of the Israel-Hamas war, and discussed their appropriateness from a peace journalism standpoint. This image particularly stood out. Without judging whether it crosses the line or not, I asked the attendees to consider these questions: Does the image accurately portray the event? Is the image merely sensational, used for click bait? Is the image exploitative, and does it re-traumatize victims? A peace journalist, I said, would ask these thoughtful questions before publishing any potentially inflammatory images.

As always, it was a pleasure interacting with the Forage Center. Its president, David J. Smith, is a friend and colleague. Smith has worked for years in higher education (Georgetown and other universities) and with professional groups to promote effective conflict resolution and peacebuilding. His Forage Center does admirable work offering hands-on trainings, simulations, and seminars for peacebuilders and humanitarian responders. They’re building a global community of emerging leaders in peacebuilding and disaster response--something sorely needed today. 

 

The new Peace Journalist magazine is out!
The December 2025 issue of The Peace Journalist magazine has been published, and includes great features from Indonesia, Pakistan, Ghana, and elsewhere, along with a report about the recently completed Jefferson Fellowships sponsored by the East West Center.

The magazine is available at :
https://www.scribd.com/document/959289405/Peace-Journalist-Dec-2025-b . Also, if you'd like to get on the mailing list to receive a .pdf copy of the magazine, and the call-for-submissions, please email me at steven.youngblood at fulbrightmail.org.

Enjoy!

 

Zoom presentation for young Southeast Asian leaders.

Young leaders gather on Zoom to discuss food security
One of my favorite East-West Center programs brings young leaders from throughout the region together, first in Honolulu, to study and plan natural resource protection projects together. Called Yseali (Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative), the last cohort met in Hawaii beginning in late September.

I got a chance to virtually meet part of this cohort on Friday via Zoom. These young leaders, ages 20-25 and from Laos and Myanmar, weren’t able to come to Hawaii with their peers because of  administration visa policies that blocked their travel here. So, we’re giving them as much of the experience as we can in a virtual setting.

Our Friday session was a discussion of food security in the region, and featured excellent presentations by Jefferson Fellows (see previous posts) Danielle Keeton-Olsen, a reporter in Cambodia, and Leilani Chavez, a journalist in the Philippines. Their presentations paved the way for an interesting discussion of food insecurities in Laos and Myanmar. The Ysealis all overestimated food insecurity in their home countries, which is 30% in Myanmar and 14-20% in Laos, according to the UN. The participants discussed food insecurity’s deep impact on migration and education, as well as the differences between rural and urban areas.

I concluded the session with info on how media report about food issues, especially the tendency to blame hungry individuals rather than the systemic issues that created the problem.

I hope to meet these vibrant young people in person some day.

Magazine on the Way
The December issue of The Peace Journalist magazine is just weeks away. Stay tuned to this space, and to social media (@peacejournalism on Instagram; @PeaceJourn on Twitter/X; on the Facebook peace journalism page) for details.

Fellow Yi-Ning Tzeng, at a special school in Thailand where
kids learn food production skills, including raising chickens

Journalists praise indigenous focus, spirit of Jefferson Fellowship
(Bangkok, Thailand; Jakarta, Indonesia; Honolulu, Hawaii)—The just concluded 2025 Jefferson Fellowship that I helped to coordinate was one of the highlights of my long professional career. Based on the post-program evaluations filled out by the Jeff fellows, I’m not alone in this assessment.

The East-West Center’s Jefferson Fellowship each year takes 10-12 journalists from the Asia Pacific region on a study and reporting tour. This month, the program included 12 journalists who studied and reported about food security from Honolulu; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Chiang Rai and Bangkok, Thailand.

In a discussion on the final day of the program last week, the journalists pointed out the aspects of the study and reporting tour that they most appreciated. At the top of the list was the program’s focus on indigenous food security and production, illustrated by our visits to the He’eia Fishpond in Hawaii and Javara indigenous food production and marketing organization in Indonesia. Others pointed to the fellows’ visit to the World Food Program in Bangkok, to CNN-Indonesia, and to the  APTERR rice reserve in Bangkok as highlights.

In post program surveys, the journalists were effusive in their praise for the 2025 Jefferson Fellowship, and enthused about the quality and quantity of their learning and of the source materials they collected for their reporting.  Fellow Se Eun Gong write, "The fellowship equipped us with the language and conceptual tools for reporting on the topic, but also with ideas and knowledge about who to talk to." Jeff Sabeen Arshad agreed, writing that the speakers and field trips "provided insights info comparative frameworks between the countries of the region, and equipped me to file stories related to food security...in the best way." Fellow Danielle Keaton-Olson praised the program's execution, noting, "I loved how well the program built upon itself structurally and informationally."

Journalist Kate Green at a solemn certificate-
awarding ceremony.

Personally, I couldn’t have enjoyed more my interactions and travel with these fellows, who were consistently lively and entertaining. They were all good travelers—not a whiner in the bunch! The group’s cohesion was gratifying to witness. For example, one of the fellows couldn’t travel to Indonesia and Thailand because of visa issues. The other Jeffs, knowing his disappointment, showered him with gifts purchased abroad which filled up half of one of my suitcases. One Jeff described the environment as “nurturing,” and I couldn’t agree more. 

At the program’s conclusion, I received many heartwarming messages from the fellows, either in person or by text. One such message kindly thanked me for my part in facilitating the fellowship, and added, “It was a terrific experience for me, and I’m happy we got to do it with you.”

Jefferson Fellows, it was a terrific experience for me, too. And I am also happy that I got to do it with all of you.

The 2025 Jefferson Fellows in Chiang Rai, Thailand