ISLAMABAD: Google on Tuesday announced the launch of a special program for Pakistani journalists to help them produce accurate and engaging digital stories, in collaboration with a Pakistani social enterprise, Tech Valley.
The program, ‘Digital Sahafat,’ or Digital Journalism, is part of the Google News Initiative (GNI) that works with publishers and journalists to fight misinformation, share resources and build a diverse and innovative news ecosystem.
“We’re very excited to announce the launch of Digital Sahafat, a program by the Google News Initiative, in partnership with Tech Valley, to equip 1,000 journalists in Pakistan with the essential tools, training, and resources to produce accurate and engaging digital news stories,” the GNI said in a statement.
The program will be formally launched in Islamabad on September 4, according to the GNI. The event will be addressed by Kate Beddoe, managing director of Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) News Partnerships at Google, and the Tech Valley team.
The GNI has supported journalism worldwide and continues to build on Google’s decades-long dialogue and collaboration in the news industry as part of a global effort to build a more sustainable and equitable news ecosystem. Since 2018, it has partnered with thousands of news organizations in more than a hundred countries to provide tools, programs, and workshops that help publishers worldwide in boosting readership and revenue as they evolve their businesses.
Founded in 2015, Tech Valley aims to bring together public and private sectors of Pakistan by bridging the gap between academia, industry and the government through technology and innovation.
Google announces program to help Pakistani journalists produce accurate, engaging digital stories
https://arab.news/wbzjq
Google announces program to help Pakistani journalists produce accurate, engaging digital stories
- The program will equip 1,000 journalists in Pakistan with the essential tools, training, and resources
- The launching ceremony of the program will be held in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Sept. 4
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
