SAHAFI SUMMIT 2026
YOUTH IN JOURNALISM
Organised by Media Matters for Democracy in collaboration with the University of the Punjab’s Department of Media and Development Communication, and with the support of the European Union, Sahafi Summit 2026 creates a space for young voices to engage with the challenges shaping journalism, exchange ideas with established media professionals, and explore new possibilities for the profession.
2026 Steering Committee
What is Sahafi Summit?
Sahafi Summit is a platform for dialogue, innovation, and collective reflection on the evolving challenges and opportunities facing journalism in Pakistan and the wider region. Envisioned as a space that brings together journalists, media professionals, academics, students, and other stakeholders, the Summit explores the changing realities of the media landscape and the role of journalism in strengthening democratic societies.
Building on the conversations and collaborations fostered through its previous editions, Sahafi Summit returns for its fourth edition in 2026 in Lahore, turning its attention to a crucial question: What does it mean to be a young journalist in an increasingly complex, fast-changing media environment?
Organised by Media Matters for Democracy in collaboration with the University of the Punjab's Department of Media and Development Communication, and with the support of the European Union, Sahafi Summit 2026 will create a space for young voices to engage with the challenges shaping journalism, exchange ideas with established media professionals, and explore new possibilities for the profession.
About Sahafi Summit 2026
This edition of Sahafi Summit will explore the evolving role of young people in journalism, examining the opportunities, challenges, and systemic barriers shaping their entry into and participation in the media industry. It will look at how young journalists are navigating a rapidly changing media landscape while negotiating questions of professional identity, press freedom, technological disruption, economic uncertainty, and newsroom culture.
Through a mix of expert-led discussions, peer-to-peer learning, interactive sessions, and hands-on workshops, the Summit will bring together young journalists, media students, editors, experienced practitioners, and journalism educators to exchange perspectives, strengthen professional capacities, and explore ways to build a more inclusive, supportive, and sustainable media ecosystem.
At its core, the Summit seeks to move beyond conversations about the future of journalism to centre the young people who are already shaping it.
2026 Theme: Youth in Journalism
Young people are entering journalism at a time of profound transformation. Digital platforms have changed how news is produced, distributed, and consumed, while artificial intelligence, shrinking newsroom resources, economic uncertainty, political pressures, and growing concerns around online safety are reshaping the profession.
For young journalists, these changes bring both opportunities and challenges. While new technologies and digital platforms have opened up alternative avenues for storytelling, they have also introduced questions around professional ethics, misinformation, job security, editorial independence, digital surveillance, and the sustainability of journalism as a career.
This year the Summit aims to centre young journalists' experiences, perspectives, and aspirations, while creating opportunities for intergenerational dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration. It will examine what newsrooms, journalism schools, media organisations, and the wider ecosystem need to do to create more inclusive, supportive, ethical, and sustainable spaces for young people in journalism.
Sub-Core Themes
The Summit will explore the theme of Youth in Journalism through the following four interconnected areas:
1. The Changing Face of Journalism: Technology, AI and Innovation
How are emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms transforming journalism? This sub-theme will explore the opportunities and challenges these developments present for young journalists, from new storytelling formats and AI-assisted reporting to algorithmic bias, deepfakes, and the changing relationship between journalists and audiences.
2. Building Sustainable Careers in Journalism
From precarious employment and low wages to limited professional development opportunities and changing newsroom structures, young journalists face multiple barriers to building long-term careers. This theme will examine newsroom cultures, labour rights, mentorship, professional growth, and the need for more sustainable working conditions.
3. Gender, Diversity and Inclusion in Newsrooms
Who gets to tell stories, whose voices are heard, and who gets left behind? This theme will explore the experiences of young women and journalists from marginalised communities, including barriers to representation, gender-based discrimination, online harassment, and the need for safer, more inclusive newsrooms and digital spaces.
4. Journalism, Misinformation and Public Trust
In an environment increasingly shaped by misinformation, disinformation, and declining public trust, young journalists have an important role in strengthening credible and responsible journalism. Discussions will explore fact-checking, verification, ethical reporting, media literacy, and strategies to engage audiences in an increasingly fragmented information ecosystem.
Format and Approach
Sahafi Summit 2026 will continue its participatory and inclusive model, combining structured discussions with interactive learning.
Keynote Sessions
Thought leaders, senior journalists, and media innovators will reflect on the changing landscape of journalism and the role of young people in shaping its future.
Panel Discussions
Journalists, newsroom leaders, academics, and media professionals will explore key issues affecting young people in journalism, including press freedom, career sustainability, gender representation, newsroom cultures, and technological transformation.
Breakout Sessions
Small-group dialogues will create space for young journalists and media students to exchange experiences, discuss emerging challenges, and explore opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and collective action.
Hands-on Workshops
Practical, skills-based sessions will equip young journalists with tools and knowledge in areas such as AI-assisted journalism, digital storytelling, fact-checking, verification, ethical reporting, and digital safety.
Expected Outcomes
Sahafi Summit 2026 aims to move beyond conversations about the challenges facing young journalists towards identifying practical ways to support their participation, growth, and leadership within the media ecosystem. By bringing together young journalists, media students, experienced practitioners, journalism educators, and other stakeholders, the Summit seeks to achieve the following outcomes:
1. Amplifying Youth Voices in Journalism
Create meaningful opportunities for young journalists and media students to share their experiences, perspectives, concerns, and aspirations, ensuring that their voices are represented in conversations about the present and future of journalism.
2. Strengthening Skills and Professional Capacity
Equip young journalists with practical knowledge, tools, and insights to navigate an evolving media landscape, particularly in areas such as digital journalism, AI, fact-checking, verification, ethical reporting, and innovative storytelling.
3. Fostering Intergenerational Dialogue and Mentorship
Build stronger connections between emerging journalists, experienced media professionals, newsroom leaders, and journalism educators to encourage knowledge exchange, mentorship, collaboration, and professional development.
4. Promoting Safer and More Inclusive Newsrooms
Generate greater awareness of the barriers faced by young journalists, particularly women and journalists from marginalised communities, and encourage discussions around gender-responsive newsroom policies, workplace protections, digital safety, and inclusive professional environments.
5. Exploring Sustainable Pathways for Young Journalists
Encourage dialogue around employment conditions, labour rights, professional growth, and the economic sustainability of journalism as a career, while identifying ways media organisations and institutions can better support emerging talent.
Ultimately, Sahafi Summit 2026 seeks to ensure that young journalists are not simply prepared to inherit the media landscape, but are empowered to question, influence, and actively shape it. The Summit aspires to turn dialogue into meaningful connections, practical learning, and collective action towards a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable journalism ecosystem.
