The Nation, Pakistan

Foreign Desk advised the publisher and editor of the Nation, trained its staff and led them to their first major scoop in several years. Three Foreign Desk trainers worked with small groups in the paper’s Lahore and Islamabad offices and conducted intensive, desk-based training in good copy style, sharper story structure, best news-gathering practice and journalistic ethics.

We drew up a blueprint to reorganise its newsroom architecture from a print-focused evening deadline operation to an integrated digital platform. Working directly with reporters, editors and the owner, we provided guidance on how to use social media to promote The Nation’s original content. Our staff guided the paper to a major scoop – Pakistan’s biggest child abuse scandal – and led a Twitter campaign to ensure the widest global audience. The Kasur story went viral on the web, was followed up by the New York Times and the BBC and other major news outlets around the world and was read by an audience of millions.