World Economic Forum honors Amir Jahangir as Young Global Leader for 2010.

Islamabad, March 04: Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates across the world. The honour, bestowed each year by the World Economic Forum, recognizes and acknowledges up to 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

This year, Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV, Pakistan’s leading private news channels has been honored as one of the Young Global Leaders for 2010. Mr. Jahangir has been acknowledged for his profound leadership quality in promoting innovative media communication models addressing socio-economic issues and contributing to improving the lives of marginalized communities in Pakistan, thus improving the state of the world.

He is also one of the key media leaders, who have been working towards establishing a new media-age in Pakistan. This new media trend is based on responsible reporting, driven by innovation journalism techniques aimed at delivering solutions for sustaining socio-economic growth and improving Pakistan’s competitiveness.

Being one of the most inspiring media leaders in Pakistan, Mr. Jahangir has carried out many landmark initiatives to build Pakistan as a progressive nation. Some of the most applauded initiatives include health, education, curbing extremism and terrorism, and environment. Under the health, banner the Polio Control Cell, a joint initiative of SAMAA with UNICEF Pakistan, World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan; the Polio Control Cell was launched in October 2008 as an innovative health communication model aimed at eradicating Polio in Pakistan. The model has now been adopted as the National Polio Control Cell by all leading public and private broadcasters and other private organizations and are actively engaged in providing 35 million children under the age of five the opportunity to a polio free future. The model has also been applauded by the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation as a role model to be replicated in other epidemic countries.

Amir Jahangir has also carried out specific programs aimed at empowering the youth against extremism and terrorism and promote a better and secure future for the future generations.

“The World Economic Forum is a true multistakeholder community of global decision-makers in which the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation. The diversity of the YGL community and its commitment to shaping a better future through action-oriented initiatives of public interest is even more important at a time when the world is in need of new energy to solve intractable challenges,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jahangir said “In today’s world, where our daily lives are faced by immense challenges, both economically and socially, the need for leadership has become even more pivotal. In a globalized world our country need leadership at all levels and sectors. We need people of all ages from all backgrounds to take advantage of the myriad of opportunities that exist to make a difference”

Jahangir further added that “We all possess the capacity for leadership, but only those who cultivate for the betterment of others will ever become truly effective leaders. Our country has a vast of young talent and we need to create opportunities for them to come forward and inspire others in striving towards excellence and making a difference for a world where we can all coexist in peace and harmony”

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2010 were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and comprised of eminent international media leaders.

The selection committee composed of the world’s top professionals and chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This honor is bestowed by the World Economic Forum each year to recognize the most distinguished young leaders nominated below the age of 40 from around the world.

The selections were carried out after carefully screening the profiles of thousands young leaders from every region of the world and from a myriad of disciplines and sectors. Amir Jahangir’s selection was made in recognition of his record of professional accomplishments, his commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through his inspiring leadership.

Amir Jahangir will be joining The Forum of Young Global Leaders as an active community member. The YGL community forms a unique global network of peers from diverse backgrounds and fields, with a highly visible opportunity to significantly impact world affairs and shape the global agenda.

The 2010 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 660 outstanding individuals. The YGLs convene at an annual summit – this year it will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2-7 May 2010, the first time in Africa and the largest ever gathering of YGLs – as well as at Forum events and meetings throughout the year.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders was established in 2004 by Professor Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multi-stakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devote part of their knowledge and energy to collectively work towards a better future.

Together the Young Global Leaders work to discover innovative solutions to today’s most pressing problems through various initiatives and work streams as well as catalyzing the next generation of leaders.

Every year the Young Global Leaders participate in Annual Summits where approximately 200 YGLs from around the globe meet to learn with each other and from each other within a global network of peers. The Forum of YGL organizes regular events throughout the year including the YGL Summits, which provide an opportunity for fellow YGLs to meet, share ideas and discuss ways to collectively shape the future.

The Kennedy School Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century Module provides a convening opportunity for the YGLs to gain critical skills and knowledge in key issue areas as well as leadership skills. This year the 2010 YGL Annual Summit will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 2-7 May.

The World Economic Forum was founded in 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland as an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Amir Jahangir’s Inititative Promotes Cutting Edge Global Innovation Journalism

[Link to Original Post]

Stanford University’s David Nordfors (left) confers with innovation journalism fellows from Pakistan, Mexico, Slovenia and Finland.

New York — Fairness, honesty, accuracy. In societies with a free press, these qualities long have stood as the tenets of good journalism. The public turns to the media for reliable information and insight, resources people employ in deciding how to live their lives.

According to those practicing an emerging style of reporting — innovation journalism — truth and thoroughness remain supreme, but stories must reach their audiences through filters that are different from the traditional ones. Experts argue today’s world is driven by a fusion of politics, business, technology, science and culture, while many newsrooms continue to divide the topics into separate beats. The new innovation-journalism beat takes a different approach, removing the old topics from their silos and blending them to inform audiences accurately of the driving force behind a changing globe: innovation.

The idea is also driving a series of partnerships between the United States and Pakistan to promote innovation journalism in Pakistan. Stanford University’s Vinnova-Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism (InJo Center) collaborates with Pakistani journalists to deliver frontline innovation journalism and further the method’s expansion into mainstream media in South and Central Asia, the United States and around the world. Pakistani journalists also receive assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to study innovation journalism in the United States.

Innovation journalism fellows from Pakistan join others at the 2009 innovation journalism conference hosted by Stanford University.

“The accelerating rate of innovation is not only in information technology, it’s everything: health care, transportation, housing, agriculture, food, music — almost every aspect of life and society,” said David Nordfors, InJo Center founding executive director. “The innovation economy is changing the ways we organize our lives.”

“Innovation journalists must be smarter than beat journalists because they need the intellectual bandwidth to cover a much wider and deeper pool of knowledge and information,” Nordfors said, explaining that innovation encompasses all aspects of a new product or idea reaching the public and the impact the development has on its recipients.

One partnership between the InJo Center and Pakistani television station SAMAA TV produced an award-winning program, Innovation, which increased public awareness of local issues of innovative development in Pakistan. The show covered topics ranging from alternative energy to mobile banking and other initiatives under way that aim to “improve the lives of the ordinary people,” said Fatima Akhtar, Innovation producer and anchor. Akhtar added that the production reached both urban and rural Pakistani audiences.

The Innovation series was named “Brand of the Year 2009,” surpassing more than 500 competitors from various industries in a nationwide consumer survey conducted in Pakistan and an expert panel analysis.

In an e-mail interview with America.gov, Amir Jahangir, chief executive officer of SAMAA TV and creator of Innovation, explained the show’s broad appeal and influence. It targeted “the masses for identifying the issues, the government for legislation and to develop public policy to foster innovation, [and] academia to increase the importance of innovation in the thought process of the future social and corporate leaders.” The program engaged business leaders in an effort to encourage the adoption of new technologies and business models as well, he said.

Jahangir credited Innovation’s success, in part, to the contribution of InJo Center fellows from around the world. The fellows advised on program content, shared research and provided commentary on the innovation processes covered in the show.

In a press release, Jahangir elaborated on the partnership: “Due to this collaboration, the content of our program has been acknowledged as being credible, containing relevant issues and making efforts in bringing together the relevant stakeholders of each industry to find innovative measures to cater [to] the society[‘s] needs,” his statement said.

Nordfors views SAMAA TV’s integration of international journalists into the Pakistani production as a prime example of the power of innovation journalism to effectively report on the global economy. He calls these networks among journalists from different countries “innovation journalism’s true synergy.” To explain, Nordfors suggested the prospect of the Finnish telecommunications company Nokia opening a new research and development facility in South Central Asia.

“If there are good networks between Finnish innovation journalists, South Central Asian innovation journalists and innovation journalists in [California’s] Silicon Valley, they can contact each other and compare notes, and will all be closer to seeing the bigger picture. This will give much better news coverage in all countries involved,” he said.

The better news coverage provided through the innovation-journalism approach is crucial to the success of emerging economies like Pakistan’s and those of other South Central Asian countries, according to Nordfors.

“Good innovation journalism in developing economies connects the dots, linking the innovation economy with public decisionmaking, mediating public understanding and discussion. That will drive innovation; there will be more stories for innovation journalism to cover; public engagement will increase,” he said. “It is a feedback loop driving innovation and public enlightenment.”

Arif Allauddin, chief executive officer of Pakistan’s Alternative Energy Development Board, also recognized innovation journalism’s contribution to formulating solutions to issues Pakistan faces, including the challenges of providing quality education, health care, and employment opportunities for youth, as well as ensuring adequate energy supplies. He said in a press release that the Innovation program, for the first time, familiarized Pakistanis with initiatives at work in other countries on which Pakistanis could model their own solutions to problems.

To facilitate the continued expansion of innovation journalism in Pakistan and throughout the world, the InJo Center welcomes a new group of fellows each year. Each group includes four Pakistani journalists, who receive USAID funding to visit for five months. Fellows attend innovation-journalism workshops and conferences at Stanford and partner with U.S. newsrooms throughout the country that are covering innovation issues. In addition to receiving training in the new form of reporting, fellows build contacts in the United States and share their own expertise with their host institutions to help enrich American journalism.

“The contact between the hosting newsrooms and fellows is very positive,” Nordfors said. “You don’t often find journalists from other countries in American newsrooms. It adds a sharing perspective and gives contact between journalists that is direct and collegial.”

SAMAA TV’s Akhtar is among the 2010 InJo Center fellows. She feels her experience so far has helped her “understand the process of innovation from different standpoints,” knowledge she considers “extremely useful” for her return to Pakistan, where she says she will apply her new skills in her journalism.

In addition to the Pakistani fellows, the InJo Center currently hosts journalists from Sweden, Finland, Slovenia and Mexico. As practitioners and students of innovation journalism, the fellows and their colleagues represent what some see as the future of the media. Innovator and InJo Center adviser Vint Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at the search engine company Google, recognizes innovation journalism as not only progressive but crucial to a democratic society.

“High-quality journalism lies at the core of democracy,” he said in an e-mail interview. “Innovation journalism seeks to explore ways in which the journalism profession can thrive in a 21st century, online environment. New business models and new delivery channels are needed if this essential function is to be preserved in the democracies of the modern world.”

SAMAA TV and WWF Join Together to Strengthen National Accountability for Environmental Conservation

By Carolyn J Dawson
TMCnet Contributor

SAMAA TV and the World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan have launched an innovative nation-wide partnership at WWF Pakistan’s Wetlands Centre, which is located in Kakapir Village near Sandspit. The partnership intends to develop public awareness on pressing environment issues, bringing forth the collective and individual responsibility for nurturing the natural resources and associated biodiversity in the country.

SAMAA TV, Pakistan’s leading private satellite news television channel is the first of its kind in Pakistan to create a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’sCSR ( News – Alert) program carries various initiatives on health, education, environment issues and outreach programs specially focusing on the socio-economic situation in Pakistan. WWF is one of the World’s largest, renowned and recognized conservation organizations and has been working in Pakistan for close to 40 years to conserve nature and ecological processes .WWF Pakistan is physically present in 28 different locations across the Pakistan.

The MoU with SAMAA TV and WWF Pakistan was jointly signed by Dr. Ghulam Akbar, Regional Director WWF and Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV. The main platform for this MoU is going to be a creative and information based program called the “Conservation Minute,” which will be a one-minute environment-related message telecast every day to be jointly developed by SAMAA TV and the WWF. Some of the other ideas include airing of documentaries, along with related talk shows and panel discussions during regularly scheduled airtime and on significant International Environmental Days.

As part of a mutual information gathering, news sharing and capacity building component of this alliance, WWF Pakistan will involve SAMAA TV reporters and production teams in exposure visits, assist them with aspects of environmental reporting and nature photography while SAMAA TV will involve WWF staff in their environmental reporting activities and update and involve them in fast-breaking environmental news events.

Referring to the Copenhagen Climate Conference 2009 Mr Jahangir stated that the conference was an example of how strategic resources needed to be put in place and monitored to make the world a better place and remain accountable for our deeds. He also emphasized that they were committed to improve the state of the world by making a difference by not just making the public but also ourselves responsible for nurturing and preserving the environment.

The main aspects of the partnership include five scholarships for public university students for masters in environmental sciences in consultation with scientific research department of WWF Pakistan; launching media campaigns and initiatives like “Say No to Plastic Bags,” “Earth Hour,” “Beach Cleaning,” etc. SAMAA has also decided to keep a dedicated journalist beat on environment so the content developed is based on research and facts co-aligned with international practices from across the world.

Carolyn John is a Contributor to TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please columnist page.

Edited by Erin Harrison

‘Cultivating Hope’ seminar on terrorism

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and SAMAA TV jointly held the second phase of a series of seminars on the project titled “Cultivating Hope”, where young female students were made aware of the challenges and impact of extremism and their important role to cultivate hope in society. The seminar held at the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) followed up by a second event at the Punjab University.

The seminars included the participation of prominent representatives from the public sector, academia and development organizations. More than 600 participants including students were part of the interactive Q&A session, which allowed the youth to ask the exclusive panel members questions, debate and analyze the current socio-political situation of Pakistan and conveyed the leaders on how the youth envisions its role and future.

The panel members included the Governor of Punjab, Mr. Salman Taseer, Mr. Syed Kamal Shah, Former Secretary Interior, Abrar Ul-Haq, famous singer and philanthropist, Brigadier Mowadat Rana, Dr. Ahsan Akhtar Naz, Director Institute of Communication Studies University of Punjab, Dr. Sadaqat Ali, leading psychiatrist and Mr. Mohammad Akram Awan , father of 02 sons who were victims of the recent Moon market blast in Lahore.

The panel members provided a diversified background which created a whole range of different perspectives and frameworks for the students to process their views, engage themselves and create content for the subject.

Speaking as the Chief Guest, Governor Punjab Mr. Salman Taseer said that “Religious and political forces are united to defeat the menace of terrorism and there is no room for terrorism and extremism in Pakistan. Our religion, culture and traditions are sign of prestige for us, he maintained. Islam is the religion of tolerance, unity, peace and harmony.”

Mr Taseer further added, “Terrorists could not impose their so called agenda on us which is against our values and the spirit of democracy. Democracy and freedom of opinion should prevail in society to root out extremism and terrorism.”

Mr. Syed Kamal Shah highlighted the urgent need to restore stability in the region to revive the socio-economic development and improvement of the business industry.

“To defeat the terrorists we need to change the attitude of the people, particularly youth. The universities can play a very constructive and positive role in motivating and educating the people about the true objectives of terrorists. He emphasized that ministry of education and universities should jointly launch programs, which help our youth to become responsible citizens”, said Mr. Kamal.

Speaking at the event Mr. Abrar-ul-Haq, said that” Gone are the days when the selfish rulers exploited youth’s rights. Today’s youth is very much conscious about their rights and duties.”

The project “Cultivating Hope” includes Pakistan’s first Inter-University documentary competition against extremism. The project focus on empowering the youth to look into the measures, impact and results of extremism, which will not only strengthen their minds to take distance to such thinking and behavior but to also play a role in educating their peers and surroundings on the horror of terrorism. The Cultivating Hope initiative will also promote the visual and liberal arts in the country’s education sphere as a form of creative expression and ideas.

HEC and SAMAA TV have called out for documentaries on various themes of extremism through all HEC affiliated universities across Pakistan. According to the partnership, the top three winners of the documentary competition will be awarded prizes amounting to Rs. 1,000,000, Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 300,000. They will also be offered a one-year job contract with SAMAA TV after completing their academic degrees.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Collaboration between Stanford Innovation Journalism Center and a Pakistani TV station honored

Amir Jahangir, CEO of SAMAA TV in Pakistan and David Nordfors, founding executive director of the InJo Center.

The award-winning program “Innovation” is dedicated to identifying innovation in all aspects of Pakistani life, and has covered issues ranging from alternative energy to mobile banking.

A collaborative effort between the Vinnova Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism and a Pakistani television station, SAMAA TV, is receiving an award for its role in bringing local issues of innovative development to the forefront of public awareness in Pakistan.

“Innovation,” a television program featured on SAMAA, was named “Brand of the Year 2009″ in a category recognizing products and services that sharpen public focus on processes of innovation and competitiveness in Pakistan. The series beat out more than 500 competitors from various industries in a nationwide judging that included a consumer survey and an expert panel analysis. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is scheduled to present the award in February.

The idea for the television series was conceived by the CEO of SAMAA TV, Amir Jahangir, who sits on an advisory board for the Innovation Journalism Center (also known as the “InJo” Center) at Stanford. The series is dedicated to identifying innovation in all aspects of Pakistani life, and has covered issues ranging from alternative energy to mobile banking.

“[The Pakistanis] have created something of theirs with information and advice from us that has created a new model of media programming there that adds something to traditional journalism,” said David Nordfors, founding executive director of the InJo Center. “It’s a young, progressive, innovative and politically moderate TV company.”

“[Jahangir] decided that SAMAA should start an Innovation Journalism TV series, that shouldn’t be only about gadgets or only about business or technology, but look at how business, technology, and politics interact, about how innovation happens, and identify different actors in the ecosystem and get the whole picture. SAMAA’s producer Shahray Zariff and her team did an excellent job in setting that up.”

Nordfors identified the collaboration as a promising example of positive U.S.-Pakistani relations.

Four Pakistani journalists come to Stanford each year as InJo fellows, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The objective of the fellowship is to train international journalists to cover the innovation economy and network with U.S. media outlets. Fellows participate in workshops and conferences at Stanford and work with newsrooms across the nation covering issues relating to innovation. Fatima Akhtar, anchor and team member of the award-winning SAMAA series, will begin a five-month fellowship at the InJo Center in February.

“Pakistan used to be a very closed country — almost all journalism in Pakistan is about Pakistan, for Pakistani people. They’ve actually started taking in InJo fellows from other areas of the world as expert
commentators,” said Nordfors. “It’s very nice to see that it actually turned out to be a smash hit because this is really a new creature in Pakistani journalism.”

The first innovation journalism program started at Stanford in 2004, Nordfors said. “Our network today includes funded innovation journalism initiatives in Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, Mexico, Pakistan, Israel and the EU — all connected to the center at Stanford,” he said.

Aimee Miles is an intern with the Stanford News Service.

“Innovation,” a television program featured on SAMAA TV, one of Pakistan’s leading Urdu news channels has been named “Brand of the Year 2009” in a category recognizing products and services that sharpen public focus on processes of innovation and competitiveness in Pakistan.

The program, a joint collaboration between the Vinnova-Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism (INJO) at Stanford University and SAMAA TV beat out more than 500 other competitors from various industries in a nationwide consumer survey and an expert panel analysis. SAMAA will be receiving the award by Prime Minister Mr. Yousaf Raza Gilani in an event scheduled in February.

The award is being given to SAMAA for launching Pakistan’s first dedicated program on innovation and for establishing the genre as an important journalistic beat in Pakistan. The Program has been recognized as the key source through which the journalistic coverage of innovation processes and ecosystems in Pakistan has been integrated into the national socio-economic development plan. The program has also been applauded for playing a leading role in bringing local issues of innovative development to the forefront of public awareness in Pakistan.

Speaking to Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV, he said “The program success is based on hard work and a great network of INJO fellows across the world, who through their expertise has been advising on the program content, sharing research, commenting on innovation topics and providing solutions through their input and views. Due to this collaboration, the content of our program has been acknowledged as being credible, containing relevant issues and making efforts in bringing together the relevant stakeholders of each industry to find innovative measures to cater the society needs”.

Mr. Jahangir further said that “The global development has made our world smaller and our communication more effective. We want to bring innovation to the homes of every Pakistani citizen, so that their awareness and ability to be innovative is nurtured. Our future lies in the hands of innovation and for that we need to prepare a workforce which not only knows how to be innovative but also how to link it to the economic development”.

Amir Jahangir also shared that SAMAA is the only media channel in Pakistan, which has been recognized both national as well as internationally for being a responsible business operator using innovation journalism techniques as part of business strategy. This acknowledgement was given to SAMAA by the Asian Forum for Corporate Social Responsibility, who awarded SAMAA the Asian CSR Excellence Award 2009 as the only channel in Asia, for being a responsible business operator creating value for its viewers and empowering marginalized communities for a better tomorrow. SAMAA has also recently won the National CSR Excellence Award 2009, which no channel has received so far.

Dr. David Nordfors, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the VINNOVA-Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism coined the term “Innovation Journalism” in 2003. Dr. Nordfors said that “SAMAA has proven the viability for the Innovation Journalism as a genre in Pakistan, and emerging economies. This award is not alone a milestone for SAMAA TV but also for the Innovation Journalism Initiative at Stanford ”. He said that by being the first, SAMAA TV is leading the way for other media channels both in Pakistan as well as across the world.

Dr. David Nordfors specially acknowledged Amir Jahangir, CEO SAMAA TV for the strong leadership and commitment in bringing innovation to the Pakistani media. Mr. Nordfors said that Mr. Jahangir’s strong belief in linking innovation to economic development would play a crucial role in creating a new ecosystem in the Pakistan economy.

The program series is dedicated to identifying innovation in all aspects of Pakistani life, and has covered issues ranging from alternative energy to mobile banking.

Mr. Arif Allauddin, CEO Alternative Energy Development Board also appreciated SAMAA TVs program stating that “ it was the first of its kind show which showcased how different countries are addressing their energy needs using alternative energy -Thus, giving the Government of Pakistan the opportunity to learn and benefit from their experiences and serve as guidelines for us”. He said that the program has been engaging InJo fellows across the world and coming up with global solutions to local issues, which are required more now than ever, as Pakistan continues to face immense challenges in providing quality education, primary healthcare, energy supply and employment opportunities for youth.

The INJO program at Stanford University focus on building the capacity of media professionals to report on innovation, develop interaction between journalism and innovation, including how innovation is changing the profession and business of journalism, how to cover innovation in the news, and how journalism links innovation with society. Four Pakistani journalists come to Stanford each year as InJo fellows. The objective of the fellowship is to train international journalists to cover the innovation economy and network with US media outlets. Fellows participate in workshops and conferences at Stanford and work with newsrooms across the nation covering issues relating to innovation.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

SAMAA TV WONS NATIONAL CSR EXCELLENCE AWARD 2009

The CSR Association of Pakistan awarded SAMAA TV with the National CSR Excellence Award 2009 for being the only media channel in Pakistan with responsible business operations aimed at empowering marginalized communities and achieving socio-economic development.

The award was given to SAMAA at the 4th National CSR Award ceremony held at a private hotel in Karachi. The event was attended by Mr. Pir Mazhar Ul-Haq, Provincial Minister for Education, Mr. Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, Minister for Environment & Alternative Energy, Sindh and other leading representatives from the corporate, development and public sector.

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV said upon the announcement that “we feel very honored to be the winners of this prestigious award, especially since this is the first time in the history of these awards that a media channel has been acknowledged for its CSR contributions. We hope that through our initiatives, we can inspire the industry to change the track and move towards the new media age, which will move away from the yellow journalism and avoid sensationalizing news for higher viewership to a more factual based content focusing on solutions”.

Mr. Jahangir further added that SAMAA works on the grounds of Innovation Journalism, a concept initiated by the Vinnova-Stanford Research Center at Stanford University. Mr. Jahangir stated that “in Innovation Journalism the process of innovation itself is the central concept, treating business, technology and politics etc. as nested components of a news story. In terms of traditional newsbeats, Innovation Journalism is multidisciplinary”. Mr. Jahangir shared that innovation journalism is a ‘horizontal’ beat, spanning across the old beats, reporting on innovation processes and innovation ecosystems.
This concept of journalism identifies and reports on key issues in the innovation ecosystems, such as the most important emerging concepts, the interaction between the main players, or what is happening in the innovation value chains. He concluded by stating that it was important to take a lead and get involved in this process by becoming a partner and reinforcing transparency and accountability of the key players of society by highlighting socio-economic issues and sustain a prosperous and secure Pakistan.

Mr. Pir Mazhar Ul-Haq, Provincial Minister for Education congratulated and awarded the winning companies by stating that these awards were tiny milestones towards a longer journey. He said that it was important to recognize the companies which had joined this journey and encouraged them to continue contributing to the well being of Pakistan and its people.

The CSR Excellence Award was received by Hina Akhtar, Sr. Manager Public Relations of SAMAA TV. Speaking at the award ceremony, Ms. Akhtar said that “the media plays a pivotal role in setting the national mindset – in particular in these challenging times. Therefore it is important for us to create content and work which is significant to our viewer communities and other stakeholders by creating value in their social interactions, empowering them for their economic decision and helping them in their political selections.” She concluded her speech by encouraging the audience to partner with the media and jointly educate and sensitize the communities for a better tomorrow.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities.

SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan. The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports.

SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Stanford University Recognizes Amir Jahangir for His Work on Innovation

Stanford Program Breaks Down Walls Between Business, Tech Journalism

I am so used to hearing about innovation in journalism that when I first heard about the Innovation Journalism program at Stanford, I assumed that’s what it focused on. Not exactly.

The VINNOVA-Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism actually focused on helping journalists cover the field of innovation. David Nordfors, a Swedish punk rocker-turned-molecular-physicist-turned-journalist, found that journalists were stuck in silos of “business journalism” and “technology journalism” and couldn’t see the big picture of innovation.

In 2003, Nordfors started the Innovation Journalism program, bringing mid-career journalists from around the world to Stanford University as fellows. They were placed in San Francisco Bay Area newsrooms to learn the new ways that reporters and bloggers were covering technology and innovation. Those newsrooms include the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, CNET and even the Technologizer blog. There’s also an annual Conference on Innovation Journalism at Stanford, where the fellows present their work and discuss related topics.

While the program was set up to help journalists do a better job of covering the topic of innovation, there is now a need for journalists to do a better job of covering innovation in journalism itself. Nordfors told me that journalists charged with covering the media are good practitioners of innovation journalism, because they are mixing business, technology, lifestyle and political journalism in one beat. He stresses that journalists need to break out of their silos and go across disciplines for better coverage of innovation.

I recently sat down with Nordfors at Stanford to talk about the Innovation Journalism program, and get his take on the current state of journalism, and how media companies — and even journalism schools — need to change. The following is an edited transcript of our conversation, including audio and video clips.

Tell me a little about your background going from Sweden to the U.S.

David Nordfors: I was in the first generation of punk rockers in Sweden, and then I broke that off to become a quantum molecular physicist. After a number of years doing that, I decided that I was much more interested in the interaction of people. I wanted to think about how knowledge creates value when it spreads in society. I looked at my own research and wondered, “who has a use for this?” It was the process of spreading the knowledge that fascinated me. I had worked as a journalist for a computer magazine and [found] some joy in it, and some success. Physicists are heavy users of super-computers so I covered that for a Swedish computer magazine. I became the science editor of that magazine.

Then I got a job offer to help build up a new foundation about innovation and the introduction of information technology in Sweden, and [and about] collaboration between industry and universities. I jumped at it, I had to take it. What I brought with me from the magazine was that all these research structures in society were very bad in communicating to the outside world. They produced brochures but never served the needs of journalists. My point of view as a journalist was that all these booklets have the same message: “We have a booklet!” They have nice color, glossy paper, but the message is “booklet.” To get knowledge out there, you need to have journalism! And journalism wasn’t part of that system.

Nordfors discusses how power is shifting from Washington D.C. to Silicon Valley boardrooms:

So we said science had to interact with society, and get research out so people could interact with it. Normally, science is about intra-community — you publish for peer review. If scientists are in the outside world being very visible on TV and newspapers, their colleagues will stop taking them seriously and think they are vulgar or sensationalists. We tried to change that. I always pushed journalism as part of the system.

What was your impetus for starting the Innovation Journalism program?

Nordfors: We aren’t able to have a public discussion [about innovation] because journalism is organized in those same darn verticals as the rest of society. So you have one part of innovation stories on the business page, another part on the tech page, one part is on the politics page, one part on the lifestyle page. All these editors have one part of the story and have no intention of collaborating with the other editors. You have the same stack of silos in the newsroom as out in society. If you’re into changing things and finding new solutions, the opportunity is to go across disciplines.

When I started with Innovation Journalism, I said we must cross the barrier between tech journalism and business journalism [that existed] in early 2000. I talked to a business journalist about it and he said, “It sounds interesting, but you know it won’t work. We business journalists don’t cover products. That might give companies control over us.” His job was covering the numbers from the company, but it’s impossible to cover a company if you don’t cover both how it’s managed and the products it makes.

If we want to discuss the iPhone or Nokia or the future of the U.S. car industry, we have to discuss their ability to make future products, and there’s no way to do that without crossing the silos of tech, business, politics and lifestyle. And these barriers can be very high. I was lucky to be at a small magazine where all our readers were engineers, so we could write enlightened things for enlightened engineers — but we couldn’t set the public debate.

How has the program evolved over the years?

Nordfors: We started it as a Swedish program, I came here as a visiting professor at Stanford and then after a year I was hired by Stanford. Pretty soon Finland joined; there was a guy here as a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Seppo Sisättö. He started the first commercial news outlet after communism in Finland. Finland has the most robust innovation journalism program [operating] today. They send three journalists a year here to work in the program and work at news outlets here. They sent researchers here, who returned to Finland and got funding to do research on innovation journalism. [It's a] similar story in Slovenia.

You are training people who are mid-career journalists, right?

Nordfors: Yes. The first innovation journalism fellow we had from Finland, Jyrki Alkio, had covered Nokia for five years for the largest daily newspaper in Finland. He was at Red Herring, and he did a lot of valuable reporting for them, and brought valuable training back to Finland about how to report on innovation. He became very influential in Finland, and co-founded FINJO, the Finnish association for innovation journalists.

What makes me most happy is what we’ve done in Pakistan, which is such a dark horse. There’s basically only one story going on about Pakistan and that’s [based on] what we envision [about the country], but in all countries there are people doing all types of things. I also learned the same thing while living in Israel — that under the toughest of circumstances, you can find the best people. If you have a country with great working conditions, average people can do very good things. But if you’re in a country with challenges and war and corruption, you have to be very good to make things happen.

I’ve been fortunate with a collaboration in Pakistan.Amir Jahangir became CEO of SAMAA TV after heading the Pakistani Innovation Journalism Initiative. They started things like citizen journalism and reporting. They took tips from the audience, and they started the first broadcast series on innovation in Pakistan that has been extremely successful.

Nordfors explains how the news industry is slowly giving up control of the medium with the switch to digital

Do you work closely with the journalism school here at Stanford?

Nordfors: We have good relations with them, and with the Knight Fellowships. I have lectured for the Knight Fellows and they will be lecturing for my fellows. My fellows interact with the journalism program and Knight fellows. The difference is that my fellows are off-campus in newsrooms, and the Knight fellows and students are on campus most of the time.

We place fellows in newsrooms such as Fortune magazine, Fast Company, Science magazine, Technology Review, PC World, CNET, San Francisco Chronicle, Red Herring. We had single bloggers like Technologizer, Harry McCracken. It’s not that these guys from other countries come to see how things work perfectly here. It’s to work together with U.S. peers and with people who are knowledgeable in journalism … to dive in and develop their expertise.

So they work for the newsroom here [in the Bay Area] or their home newsroom?

Nordfors: They have a desk in the newsroom — if the newsroom has desks — and work for the ones here. In 2004, back when people wondered whether blogs should be taken seriously, and we had a guy named Marcus Lillkvist who did some marvelous investigative work on an Icelandic company called Decode. This earned him his fellowship and here he was at the Wall Street Journal, and did the first story in the Journal about blogs getting advertising. They’re also in classes here at Stanford …

We also have our own copy editors, because fellows say it’s hard to get into the almost artistic literary writing that’s required for journalists in the U.S., instead of just writing the facts as people are used to in Sweden or Finland. We have a copy editor who has been covering the Valley, so it helps the fellows turn in good first versions of stories to their hosts.

Nordfors discusses how journalists should address solutions for problems such as global warming, rather than just pointing out the problem:(click arrow to hear the audio)

There are some schools that are teaching journalists programming and how to do database journalism. What do you think about that?

Nordfors: That’s very good. We need to redefine journalism. It has always been defined by its relationship to its medium. We need to redefine journalism by its relation[ship] to the audience. Journalists focus public attention on topics of interest to the public, with a mandate from the public. If their mandate is from the sources, then they are PR guys. Why shouldn’t it be possible for journalists to be programmers? They can develop applications that focus public attention on issues that interest the public, and help to build the story, the shared narratives in society, and help us discuss topics like global warming.

If it adds to the journalistic knowledge of a subject, then it’s journalism. I’m all for that.

Who’s doing innovation journalism well, in your opinion?

Nordfors: If you go to publications like TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Engadget, CNET — some independent bloggers that have been around awhile — you can get a good picture on what’s happening here. The journalism here is opening up to take in the social stories, and the politics a bit. What was Obama’s platform on this? I’d like to see a bit more journalism around how well Obama is keeping his promises around this. That’s maybe what’s missing here in the Valley — it’s a bit weak on the public policy, but it’s strong on mixing business and technology.

It’s important that we don’t just see this as tech, but as innovation in society. It’s not the tech gadget that’s the news. It’s the increased ability of us humans to live improved lives, with new improved abilities, and how we use it. Tech is a central part of that story as a key enabler.

How do old ways of journalism need to change?

Nordfors: Journalists have to tear down the wall to the marketing guys, and have to accept that they’re part of the equation. And the technology guys who sit in the basement have to build an elevator up from the basement so they can come up and talk to the people in the light, and sit down and figure out how to co-develop this. It’s not about journalism or marketing or technology, but it’s about co-evolving these so we get good journalism.

Today, journalism companies have to focus on technology, but technology isn’t the answer. Technology will always remain the tool for developing a useful story for the audience to participate in.

There’s so much in the structure of journalism that has to be changed. It’s the curriculum: the principles of journalism that talked about objectivity and not being involved, which we all know is not true. So we need to take that one by the horns and figure out how we are involved, and still uphold the principles of journalism. The Constitution of Sweden, and even of the U.S., talk[s] about freedom of press and who is a journalist. They define a journalist by the medium. That’s got to be changed. That’s important. I think the First Amendment is important and it’s heading over the cliff, because not everyone who’s writing on the Internet is [seen as] a journalist. You can’t define a journalist by their medium.

Nordfors talks about journalism schools and how they could change by focusing on the storytelling rather than the medium:(click arrow to hear the audio)

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What do you think about the Innovation Journalism program at Stanford? Do you think journalists could do a better job covering innovation? How? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Mark Glaser is executive editor of MediaShift and Idea Lab. He also writes the bi-weekly OPA Intelligence Report email newsletter for the Online Publishers Association. He lives in San Francisco with his son Julian. You can follow him on Twitter @mediatwit.

“Pakistan is facing its greatest challenge because today’s enemy lies within the distorted hearts and minds of people – we need to treat the heart and minds of these people who have been misguided and are brain washed; only then can we fight this war with full force”, said Syed Kamal Shah.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and SAMAA TV held the first of a series of seminars on the project titled “Cultivating Hope” at the National University for Science and Technology (NUST) Islamabad, the seminars are part of the launch of Pakistan’s first national inter-university documentary competition on extremism, which is a joint initiative of HEC and SAMAA TV.

The seminar included the participation of prominent representatives from the Public Sector, ISPR, Academia and development organizations. More than 250 participants including students were part of the interactive Q&A session, which allowed the youth to ask questions, debate and analyze the current socio-political situation of Pakistan and conveyed the leaders on how the youth envisions its role and future.

Keynote speaker Syed Kamal Shah, Former Federal Secretary Interior, who was also the chief guest noted that “the actual challenge for us as a nation is how to treat the hearts and minds of these people who have been misguided and brainwashed into seeing the people of Pakistan as their enemy. We therefore need to focus on the real education of our people and provide them with the basic amenities so that they are not lured into these devious acts due to poverty, society pressures or lack of guidance”.

Mr. Shah strongly focused on the support for educational development in the region, and the importance of security in pursuing economic opportunities for individual citizens and the region.

The leading panel of guest speakers also included Brigadier Professor Mowadat Rana, Director, Centre for Trauma Research and Psychosocial Interventions, Armed Forces Institute of Mental Health, who on a daily basis deals with extreme behavior personalities and addressed the issue from a professional and human perspective. Brigadier Rana spoke on how the human mind is easily affected through visuals and constant brain storming on a selected topic, which enables the mind to think in only one perspective without realizing the negative aspects.

The project “Cultivating Hope” focus on empowering the youth to look into the measures, impact and results of extremism, which will not only strengthen their minds to take distance to such thinking and behavior but to also play a role in educating their peers and surroundings on the horror of terrorism. The Cultivating Hope initiative will also promote the visual and liberal arts in the country’s education sphere as a form of creative expression and ideas.

The seminar brought together various universities in the Capital City and Rawalpindi through the facility of video conferencing. All students eagerly participated in the Q&A Session and were very open in their thoughts about Pakistan’s alarming situation and the urgent need to encourage the public to keep their spirits high and carry out counter initiatives against extremism.

Speaking on the occasion Amir Jahangir, CEO of SAMAA TV said “the media’s role is to cultivate hope and the media, must play its part as the catalyst for change and address the menace of extremism and terrorism in our great country.

He further added, “All stakeholders need to come forward and help in creating employment opportunities to our youth to safeguard the future of the nation. By providing a healthy and competitive environment to our youth, we can help eliminate the increasing frustration among them and empower them to make a better and prosperous future for themselves and prevent them from becoming victims of a disillusioned religion and political game,”

Son of Late (Shaheed) Major General Bilal Omer, Arsalan Omer Khan also spoke on the brave acts of his father, who became one of the victims in the recent incident in a mosque in Rawalpindi on Friday 04 December 2009, where terrorists killed more than 40 people and injured 83. The victims included leading army officers and their children who were in the mosque for the Friday prayers. Arsalan encouraged all not to call these people terrorists but cowards and stay united and break down the environment in which these people breed.

In his concluding remarks the Engr Muhammad Asghar, Rector NUST said, “the youth has to play a pivotal role and bring the positive change, as all the religions promote education and innovation, and NUST ensures both. He acknowledged the efforts of HEC and SAMAA TV for Cultivating Hope.”

HEC and SAMAA TV have called out for documentaries on various themes of extremism through all HEC affiliated universities across Pakistan. According to the partnership, the top three winners of the documentary competition will be awarded prizes amounting to Rs. 1,000,000, Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 300,000. They will also be offered a one-year job contract with SAMAA TV after completing their academic degrees.

SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel is the first media channel is Pakistan to have established a well-integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program as part of it business activities. SAMAA TV’s CSR program carries various initiatives within health, education, environment and outreach programs focusing on improving the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and five bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

The Asian Forum on Corporate Social
Responsibility (AFCSR) announced the winners of the AFCSR Award 2009
at a grand gala award ceremony held in Manila, Philippines. Pakistan
marked a new page in the history of Corporate Social Responsibility by
receiving the excellence award in CSR. The award was received by SAMAA
TV for its Concern for Health initiatives.

List of winners at AFCSR 2009

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive SAMAA TV, while moderating the session on innovations in CSR in
developed and developing countries shared the dire need to review the
CSR strategy of companies in light of innovation and communication.

Download audio file of Amir Jahangir’s moderation session

Asian CSR Awards is recognized as the leading awards program on
Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia and is an inherent component
of the annual, regional Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility
(AFCSR) conference and Expo.

This year, the Asian CSR award celebrated its seventh year with over
400 delegates from 20 countries who attended.

This award program attracted 211 entries representing 132 companies
from 14 countries. The Asian CSR Awards recognizes and honors Asian
companies for outstanding, innovative and world-class products,
services, projects and programs in five categories – Best Workplace
Practices; Concern for Health; Environmental Excellence; Poverty
Alleviation; and Support and Improvement of Education. The selection
of the projects are based on its demonstration of the company’s
leadership, sincerity and on-going commitment in incorporating ethical
values, compliance with legal requirements, respect for individuals,
involvement in communities and protection of the environment into the
way they do business.