Asad Baig is a journalist, media strategist, and digital rights advocate committed to strengthening independent journalism in Pakistan.
As the founder and executive director of Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD), he has played a pivotal role in shaping conversations around press freedom, digital transformation, and the viability of media organizations in an increasingly digital world. His work spans research, advocacy, and capacity building, focusing on empowering newsrooms and media professionals to navigate the challenges posed by misinformation, technological disruption, and regulatory pressures.
Baig’s career in media began in 2004 at Geo News, where he worked in news and current affairs production. With a background in computer engineering and coding, he recognized early on the role that technology could play in reshaping journalism. This led him to establish Media Matters for Democracy in 2014, a platform that has since become a leading voice in media development, digital rights, and progressive media regulation in Pakistan. MMfD has been at the forefront of initiatives advocating for digital democracy, platform accountability, and ethical media practices.
A strong proponent of Media and Information Literacy (MIL), Baig has worked extensively to combat misinformation and strengthen journalistic resilience against organized disinformation campaigns. He has personally trained more than 2,000 journalists across Pakistan in fact-checking and investigating digital disinformation, equipping them with the tools to counter online manipulation, deepfakes, and influence operations. He has also led newsroom-based training programs for 14 of Pakistan’s leading media organizations, helping journalists identify and analyze coordinated disinformation networks on digital platforms. His research contributions have explored critical issues such as media policy, online censorship, and the evolving role of big tech in shaping public discourse.
Baig is also the founder of Digital Rights Monitor, Pakistan’s first and only news portal dedicated to reporting on media and digital freedoms. Through this platform, he has ensured that issues of censorship, surveillance, data privacy, and online freedom receive rigorous journalistic coverage. In addition to publishing investigative pieces and in-depth reports, Digital Rights Monitor serves as a knowledge hub for journalists, researchers, and policy experts working on digital rights in Pakistan.
Beyond research and advocacy, Baig has been instrumental in helping newsrooms transition into the digital age. His work on digital transformation has enabled media organizations to integrate technology-driven workflows, optimize content strategies, and develop sustainable audience engagement models. He has worked closely with over 40 digital media startups, guiding them through challenges related to media viability, business modeling, content packaging, and digital monetization. Through initiatives like Media Lab, Pakistan’s first media incubator and accelerator, he has provided hands-on support to media entrepreneurs, fostering innovation and sustainability in journalism.
Recognizing the growing significance of technology in shaping public discourse, Baig actively works with journalists to improve reporting on digital rights. His training programs and mentorship initiatives equip journalists with the skills to cover issues such as data protection, internet governance, algorithmic bias, and online speech regulation. By bridging the gap between digital rights and mainstream media, he ensures that these critical issues are reported with depth, accuracy, and nuance.
In recent years, Baig has emerged as a thought leader on the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and journalism. His work in this area explores how AI is transforming news production, distribution, and audience engagement. He has spoken extensively on the ethical implications of AI in journalism, emphasizing the need for responsible integration of AI-driven tools in newsrooms to ensure transparency, accuracy, and trust. His research and writings reflect a nuanced understanding of both the opportunities and challenges that AI presents for media sustainability and information integrity.
In addition to his work with MMfD, Baig is a regular contributor to The News on Sunday and Dawn, where he writes on media policy, digital rights, and the broader implications of emerging technologies on journalism. His articles critically examine issues such as online censorship, the impact of regulatory frameworks on press freedom, and the role of tech platforms in controlling public narratives. His writing serves as a crucial voice in Pakistan’s media landscape, offering insightful analysis and informed perspectives on some of the most pressing challenges facing the industry today.
Through his multifaceted work in research, advocacy, newsroom transformation, media innovation, and digital rights journalism, Asad Baig continues to drive efforts to strengthen independent journalism in Pakistan. His vision is rooted in empowering journalists and media organizations with the tools, knowledge, and resilience needed to navigate an increasingly complex and digitally-driven information ecosystem.
His writings are available here:
Research Publications: mediamatters.pk/publications
Articles The News: https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/writer/asad-baig
Articles Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/authors/10670/asad-baig
Articles Digital Rights Monitor: https://digitalrightsmonitor.pk/author/asad-baig/