Dawn.com fast heading towards digital convergence, says editor

ISLAMABAD — Dawn.com is undergoing major internal and external restructuring aimed at converging its web operations with its print edition, a shift that is expected to eventually support broader digital integration across the newspaper and television channel.

Internal and external revamp underway

Dawn.com Editor Jahanzaib Haque said in an interview with JournalismPakistan that the changes reflect both a long-term strategic vision and an effort to set new benchmarks for local and potentially global news websites.
“Our old logo DAWN.COM has now been replaced by the newspaper's DAWN logo. This is the first of a series of internal and external changes being implemented to converge the web with the print edition,” he said.
He added that the redesign is not limited to branding but extends to structure, presentation, and workflow across the website.

Building towards digital convergence

According to Haque, the changes are part of a broader push for digital convergence involving Dawn’s print newspaper and DawnNews television channel, with support from editor Zaffar Abbas and senior management.
He said the aim is to move towards an integrated newsroom where content flows seamlessly across platforms.

“With the help of the newspaper editor Zaffar Abbas and senior management representing both Dawn (print) and DawnNews (TV channel), the idea of digital convergence is paving a way for an integrated newsroom,” he said.

Traffic reach and platform transition

Haque noted that Dawn.com currently holds the highest global ranking among Pakistani news websites in English and Urdu. He cited Alexa Global Rank placing Dawn.com at 1,795 worldwide, with significant audience reach including 250,767 daily unique visitors, 1,494,057 daily page views, 3,978,903 monthly unique visitors, and 47,159,718 monthly page views.

He said these figures reflect strong reader engagement as the platform continues its transformation.

Redesigning for a unified newsroom model

Haque explained that the brandless Urdu site urdu.dawn.com has already been restructured and relaunched as DawnNews.tv, focusing on video content and rapid updates aligned with television production needs.

“Dawn.com is now undergoing a major revamp to bring it closer to the paper. Each section is being redesigned to deliver the best of print in a format that is indigenous to the web, and this is coming soon,” he said.

He added that the objective is to ensure reporters contribute in a “platform-neutral” way so that print, web, and television all benefit simultaneously.

Inspiration from global media models

Haque said the team draws inspiration from international outlets such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Medium.

“Wherever we see a good idea that could work for Dawn and our readers, whom we consider globally attuned and extremely web savvy, we emulate it, try to localise it and tweak it to fit us, and then innovate on top of it,” he said.

He acknowledged that integrating the television channel remains the biggest challenge, but expressed optimism that the convergence process is steadily moving forward, beginning with the digital platform.