About Hissan Gul
Hissan Gul is an AI, OSINT and strategic communication trainer based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He trains journalists, newsrooms and social-science students to work with AI and open-source research without giving up verification, and teaches communications teams to listen to their audiences before they speak or spend, through social listening and audience analysis. He was previously Head of Digital at Independent Urdu, where he coordinated 80+ journalists across 10+ countries, and has 15+ years across newsrooms, the development sector and paid media, including $200,000 in Meta ad spend managed. He is a Fellow of the International Center for Journalists and completed Google’s Train the Trainer programme under Digital Sahafat.
The method, not the label
I’m Hissan Gul, and for 15+ years I’ve worked where communication, data and human behaviour meet — in newsrooms, in the development sector, in e-commerce and in training. One thread runs through all of it: find out what’s actually true, about an audience, a source or a situation, before anyone spends money or effort acting on it.
For journalists, that means interrogating the machine — treating what AI and open sources hand you as an unverified source, not a finished answer. For communicators, it means listening first — reading what audiences already say, in their own language, before you shape a message or a budget. Same instinct, two kinds of work: check before you publish, listen before you speak.
What I train in
Five fields, one habit.
AI in journalism
Reporters and desks using AI for research, transcription, drafting and verification — without surrendering the checks that keep them trustworthy.
Who it’s for: working journalists, editors and journalism students.
Explore this training →OSINT & verification
Open-source research and image, video and record verification that survives scrutiny — from public sources only, never the surveillance of individuals.
Who it’s for: reporters, fact-checkers and students.
Explore this training →Strategic communication
Turning audience evidence into content and campaigns — and into paid media that respects the budget instead of leaning on it.
Who it’s for: communications and marketing teams.
Explore this training →Audience analysis
Reading who an audience really is, what they believe and where their attention sits — in the languages they actually use, including Roman Urdu.
Who it’s for: communications teams, audience desks and marketing students.
Explore this training →Social listening
Reading the public conversation about a brand, a service or a newsroom’s own coverage — in aggregate and ethically, before a word goes out.
Who it’s for: communications teams and newsroom audience desks.
Explore this training →The frameworks I teach
Named methods, not slogans.
Hover, or tap on a phone, to see how each one works.
Where I've done it
Fifteen years, one milestone at a time.
2009
Into the newsroom
Started on the desk at a national news agency — the first of 15+ years working where communication, data and human behaviour meet.
2013–2014
Building a newsroom
Editorial Head at Pakistan Tribe: built the Islamabad newsroom, ran a Citizen Journalism Program across universities, and oversaw 900+ published bylines.
2015–2019
Prime-time current affairs
Senior Producer and content roles across national broadcast newsrooms — learning how a story lands with a live audience, at scale and at speed.
2020–2021
Development & e-commerce
Raised PKR 25 Million for Shifa Foundation through Ramadan and Qurbani campaigns and built Pakistan's first indigenous Zakat Calculator; ran marketing and data at Barq.
2021–2024
Head of Digital, Independent Urdu
Directed digital and video for a network of 80+ journalists and contributors across 10+ countries, and built the production systems and audience-analysis routines that held it together.
2014–2024
A decade of paid media
Architected $200,000 in Meta ad spend, reaching 200 Million+ people across Pakistan, South Asia and international audiences — for clients across INGO/NGO, healthcare, education, e-commerce and media.
2017 → today
Teaching the method
Training in OSINT, audience analysis and AI in journalism since 2017; Fellow of the International Center for Journalists (2022); completed Google's Train the Trainer under Digital Sahafat (2026).
I came up through Pakistani media — producing prime-time current affairs and building newsroom and digital operations across several outlets, including setting up a citizen-journalism programme and overseeing 900+ published stories.
As Head of Digital at Independent Urdu, I directed digital strategy and video operations for an international network of 80+ journalists and contributors across 10+ countries, and built the production systems and audience-analysis routines that held it together.
In the development sector, I led the digital fundraising campaigns that raised PKR 25 Million for Shifa Foundation, and built Pakistan's first indigenous Zakat Calculator alongside other decision-support tools.
Across a decade of consulting, I've architected $200,000 in Meta ad spend, reaching 200 Million+ people across Pakistan, South Asia and international audiences — for clients across INGO/NGO, healthcare, education, e-commerce and media.
And throughout, I've trained universities, newsrooms, public institutions and private teams — in AI in journalism, OSINT and verification, audience analysis, social listening and evidence-led content.
Training and background
My foundation is in media studies and international relations (Bahria University), built on with fellowships and certifications: the ICFJ Fellowship on Misinformation, an Inclusive Reporting Fellowship with the British Council and MMfD, digital and data journalism training through Reuters Academy and others, and Google's Train the Trainer programme under Digital Sahafat. I work across English, Urdu, Punjabi, Saraiki, Pahari, Arabic, Persian and Hindko.
Who I work best with
For people who can't afford to guess.
The common thread isn't the sector — it's the stakes. When a budget is tight, a message is sensitive, or an audience is hard to read, a listen-first approach earns its keep.
Journalists & newsrooms
Teams that want to use AI and open sources without losing the desk's judgement.
Communications teams
In NGOs, hospitals, universities and companies — teams that need to know the audience before the budget.
Students & early-career
People building the skills that keep them employable in an AI-shaped newsroom or team.
If that sounds like you, I'd like to hear what you're working on.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is Hissan Gul?
Hissan Gul is an AI, OSINT and strategic communication trainer based in Islamabad, Pakistan, with 15+ years across newsrooms, the development sector and paid media. He trains journalists and communications teams in AI, open-source research, social listening and audience analysis, and was previously Head of Digital at Independent Urdu.
What does Hissan Gul specialise in?
Five fields: AI in journalism, OSINT and verification, strategic communication, audience analysis, and social listening — plus training teams in all five.
Does Hissan Gul offer training?
Yes. He designs and delivers hands-on training for newsrooms, universities, NGOs and communications teams in AI in journalism, OSINT and verification, audience analysis, social listening and strategic communication. He was lead trainer for Independent Urdu's Indy In Campus programme, mentoring 300+ newly graduated journalists and students, and has delivered workshops at eight universities.
How can I contact Hissan Gul?
Through the contact form at hissangul.com/contact, or via LinkedIn.