In Pakistan, like many countries around the world, the news consumption habits of young people are evolving. In this fast changing news environment, veteran journalist Marium Chaudhry decided in 2019 to launch the independent news platform, The Current.

Designed to be an alternative source of news, the platform aimed to capture the attention of Pakistan’s younger generations through its clean, magazine-like interface and engaging voice. The Current set out to keep Pakistan’s millennials informed about all the topics that matter to them, from current affairs to entertainment and lifestyle.

How better to connect with younger audiences, than to bring them into the newsroom itself? This was the bigger mission Chaudhry had for her startup. She wanted to equip the next generation of newsmakers with the necessary skill sets through on-the-job experience.

The digital newsroom started a membership program called ‘Aap ki Awaaz’, which means ‘your voice’ in the Urdu language. Through the program, budding newsmakers were given the opportunity to be a part of the newsmaking process in The Current’s digital newsroom. As a startup, funding such an initiative was a challenge. The Google News Initiative helped to support this project, starting a partnership that’s still evolving and creating impact today.

Through collaborations with the University of Central Punjab and Punjab University, The Current has worked with 120 students, providing them with real-life reporting opportunities, and a space to express their creativity and ideas in a digital newsroom. As a result, more than 50 blogs written by these students have been published. More recently, program participants had the opportunity to join in The Current’s coverage of Pakistan’s general election, getting on-the-ground reporting experience during one of the year's largest events. Mentored by full-time journalists at The Current, 12 participants had the chance to monitor election results, write real-time stories, and take part in live podcasts. Through these rare opportunities, students were able to experience newsmaking first-hand and apply their knowledge to the field. The Current is now exploring ways to make the ‘Aap ki Awaaz’ program part of its training and hiring process as it continues to expand its digital newsroom.

Engaging young people in the newsroom is core to The Current’s mission to better connect with young Pakistanis. As part of this, Chaudhry and her team are always exploring new ways of reaching and engaging readers.

With the support of the Google News Initiative, The Current recently launched a daily newsletter which now has 1,500 subscribers and a 28% open rate. From tweaking the newsletter interface to testing different frequencies of newsletter delivery and learning from its subscriber list, The Current continues to find new ways to grow its readership and keep the newsletter sustainable for the long run.

At the time of writing, The Current is looking to refresh its online presence and further evolve it to keep pace with the needs of Pakistan’s younger readers.