
Somaiyah Hafeez, one of this year's finalists for Thomson's Young Journalist of the Year Award, had a transformative visit to London. As the only finalist able to travel to Britain, she participated in a mobile journalism course, visited renowned newsrooms including the BBC and The Guardian, and attended the Foreign Press Association Media Awards, where she was recognised as one of the runners-up. Here, Somaiyah, who's from Balochistan in Pakistan and currently studying for a masters in data journalism at Columbia Journalism School, reflects on her experience.
What was it like visiting leading UK newsrooms? Going to all these newsrooms like the BBC, The Guardian, Financial Times, and Channel 4 was one of the most exciting parts of this trip because these are news outlets that every journalist dreams to work for. So, when you get the opportunity to go and meet the editors and form those connections and see the insides of a newsroom and how they work, its like a dream come true. And especially for me, as a freelance journalist who has never really been a staffer for any news outlet, to know how a newsroom works made me wonder what it could it be like to work in one. It was a really exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an early-career journalist.
Somaiyah with Channel 4 project manager Ziad Al-Hasso
Tell us about your experience with mobile journalism training. In my career, I have been focussing on longform feature journalism, and Ive never had experiences with audio or video journalism. I got to learn a lot about mobile journalism and about how you can shoot a film or shoot a report using just your mobile phone. I feel like I learned an incredible amount in a very short time. I didnt think that I would really love doing video journalism, but after the session, I came out with this kind of love for it. And I want to go out and address those skills that I learned.
Mobile Journalism workshop with Cassius Rayner
Why is international media coverage of Balochistan important? I think that Balochistan as a region is very important to be covered in international media because thats the only way that important stories, like the political resistance movement that Baloch women are leading right now, is going to be written down in history. And the national media in Pakistan does not really pay that much attention to Balochistan because thats a part of the states narrative in how its dealing with the conflict in Balochistan, making it into an information blackhole where no news can come out from. Hence, it becomes very crucial that its given coverage in the international media.
What inspired your focus on data journalism? The idea of doing my masters in data journalism came from one of my submissions for the award, which was this data-driven story that I did for Kontinentalist on enforced disappearances in Balochistan. When that story came out, the way that it was received by people who were reading it made me realise that data journalism is indeed the future. Because the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan was something that I had covered previously as well in multimedia platforms in the form of photographs and interviews in a written article. But nobody had ever covered the story from a data aspect. And when that was done, the story was able to paint the picture of how grave an issue this is, in a sort of a way that present-day media requires, which is to have a lot of visualisations and a lot of data analysis so that it speaks even louder to the audience.
Somaiyah receives her runners-up certificate from Thomsons Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Lord Chandos.
What does being a finalist for this award mean to you? Being a finalist for this award is a privilege. Im really glad that the stories that resulted in my nomination for this award are stories that are very important, stories that I always wanted to tell as a journalist. And because of this award, and because I was selected as a finalist, these stories are once again being talked about and being shared. So that I feel like is the most important part about this entire experience, which I am so grateful for. Obviously coming to London and getting to meet all these editors, going to all these newsrooms has enhanced my confidence as a young journalist. I feel like it has given me a really great networking experience.
What advice would you give to young journalists? One advice that I would give to young journalists is to never doubt themselves. Because I think, especially as a young journalist, when youre starting off, you constantly doubt yourself. So I would say try not to do that,' at least, because its impossible not to. Also, put your work out there, especially if you are a freelance journalist or if you are very shy about your work, or if you're constantly questioning whether you're doing a good job or not. Just put your work out there, because if you do not, nobodys going to know the incredible job that youre doing. Find stories that youre passionate about and follow them. And just be fearless.
More on the Young Journalist Award
Afghan Reporter Wins Young Journalist of the Year 2024
Meet the Young Journalist Finalists 2024
Shortlist Young Journalist Award 2024
-- Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Two Alumni Win Tony Awards Mike Morris and Cedric Leiba Jr. won awards for Best Orchestrations and Best Play, respectively.
June 8, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
...
08/06/2026
The two execs discuss the goals and the challenges of building a huge multi-cult...
08/06/2026
This industry legend has been a road warrior since the early '90s and is, today, a lynchpin on College GameDay
The sports-production industry continues to ...
08/06/2026
DAZN has agreed a multi-year rights partnership with Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), expanding its global combat sports portfolio.
DAZN will broadcast EFC...
08/06/2026
As fans move across broadcast, streaming, social, mobile and creator-led platforms, and they expect every angle, in real time, TVU Networks has released a new e...
08/06/2026
Infront has further strengthened the 2026 Diamond League's international bro...
08/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced the appointment of Sam Craig as Vice President, Global Pre-Sales. Based in the United States, Craig will lead Grass Valley's glob...
08/06/2026
SMPTE has announced its summer 2026 education lineup covering IP networking and SMPTE ST 2110, including two standalone courses, a 13-week boot camp, and a hand...
08/06/2026
Sportradar Group AG has announced a multi-year global agreement with Kalshi, a p...
08/06/2026
FIFA and Gamefam have announced the launch of a FIFA World Cup 2026 event on Roblox, running June 5 through July 31, 2026. The event centers on FIFA Super Socce...
08/06/2026
A collaboration of NHL Productions, Monumental Sports, and Michael Levitt Produc...
08/06/2026
CBS Sports production staffer Bryce Adair has died at the age of 31 after sustaining injuries during a car accident on Wednesday while in Ohio working the the P...
08/06/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...
08/06/2026
WMT Digital today announced the launch of WMT Fan Intelligence, designed to unif...
08/06/2026
The Heat are the seventh NBA team to air their games over-the-air next season...
08/06/2026
Paramount and UFC have announced an expansion of their media rights partnership making Paramount the exclusive home of UFC Numbered Event main cards in Canada ...
08/06/2026
The Qatar Football Association (QFA), in cooperation with Sponix and broadcaster...
08/06/2026
Project B has announced the appointment of Host Broadcast Services (HBS) as Offi...
08/06/2026
The Buckeyes now produce and stream upwards of 200 sports events annually with a...
08/06/2026
At Spotify, our commitment to the LGBTQIA community is year-round. Through GLOW, our global music program, we celebrate and amplify the contributions of queer ...
08/06/2026
Get Hands-on With Keyboard & Synth Brands
GearExpo UK wouldn't be complete without some synth action, and we've got some of the industry's most ...
08/06/2026
50 popular in-ear monitoring system profiles added
The latest update for IK Multimedia's headphone-correction system has just arrived, and introduces ca...
08/06/2026
Manny Marroquin signature cans upgraded with SLAM Technology
The flagship model in Audeze's Manny Marroquin Signature Series has just been treated to an...
08/06/2026
Air domain supremacy redefined - New counter UAS, space solutions and directiona...
08/06/2026
he BBC and BritBox have announced that Edward Bluemel (We Might Regret This, My ...
08/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/06/2026
Dante interfaces, intercom and control systems for modern AV environments
Glensound will showcase a focused range of networked audio and intercom solutions fo...
08/06/2026
Bminty is proud to celebrate the first anniversary of T18, the new free national French DTT channel launched on June 6, 2025. This symbolic milestone also marks...
08/06/2026
DaVinci Resolve Used For Global Collaboration on Tony Foster Documentary
Brie Clayton June 8, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio and Blackmagic Cl...
08/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/06/2026
Plus, 20% off TVs ahead of kick-offMonday 8 June 2026
Sky introduces Real Time...
08/06/2026
FOX Secures Live NFL Game Package in Mexico Starting in Fall 2026 Agreement Features Thursday Night Football, Sunday Games Package, Thanksgiving Day Games, al...
08/06/2026
FOX One, FOX Sports and Indeed Name Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto as FOX One C...
08/06/2026
Meet us on the show floor
Stand #286310 Discover Nara, the media management tool used by major facilities including Harbor and Molinare.
Nara v2 introduces re...
08/06/2026
L'art de l'Image dans Reflet dans un diamant mort' Une conversation avec le directeur de la photographie Manuel Dacosse, SBC et l' talonneur Pe...
08/06/2026
Embracing today's modern media workflows: FilmLight presents Nara 2.0, with FilmLight API Designed to support the growing demands of today's production ...
08/06/2026
Moderated by Andy Minuth, FilmLight's Colour Workflow Specialist
Wednesday 18 February
6:00pm / Doors open
7:00pm / Presentation in German
8:00pm / Drin...
08/06/2026
Join us on April 14 at 10:00am for a technical roundtable with the Filmlight dev...
08/06/2026
You're invited to FLAPI Classroom The fundamentals of coding and machine-assisted development
These sessions will help you build the skills needed to cre...
08/06/2026
With Sylvain Canaux (St Louis, Paris) and J r me Cloutier (MELS, Montreal)
Wednesday 6 May
Pick your time: 1:00PM / 5:00PM
Note: The presentation will be hel...
08/06/2026
FilmLight, 1107 N El Centro Ave, Los Angeles
Doors open at 3:30pm
Join the FilmLight team on June 9th at 4pm to learn how FilmLight products and APIs can stre...