Rainforest Investigation Network Fellow Yao Hua Law Visits UiTM as Guest Lecturer

“How many of you want to be a journalist after graduating?” asked Yao-Hua Law at the beginning of the class. Five hands were raised—among 28 students. We shared a laugh and took note. This could be a tough audience for the program. But throughout the session, the atmosphere quickly lightened up—curiosity sparked, minds opened, and so did the students’ aspirations.

The Pulitzer Center, in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, hosted the first Green Voice Matters (GVM) activity of 2025—a guest lecture led by a renowned Malaysian environmental journalist and Pulitzer Center RIN Fellow Yao Hua Law. This initiative aimed to foster critical awareness among students about pressing environmental issues in Malaysia, particularly deforestation and biodiversity loss driven by illegal logging and palm oil expansion.  

During the session, Yao Hua shared findings from his award-winning investigative works supported by the Pulitzer Center, including from Forest Plantations on the Rise: What's the Deal? and Unrecorded Forest Loss in Peninsular Malaysia. The projects examined the rapid growth of commercial tree plantations in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Touted as a sustainable solution for timber production while preserving natural forests, Yao Hua critically explored the political dynamics and sustainability claims behind these plantations. He revealed how approximately 500,000 hectares of land were cleared based on Malaysia's official forest records and satellite data from 2000 to 2019. He highlighted how land use registration, rather than actual forest cover, influenced official figures, shedding light on the implications of these discrepancies.  

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The session, attended by more than 27 students, including members of UiTM’s student journalist club, served as a platform to inspire and prepare future environmental journalists. Under the guidance of UiTM facilitator Khairun Nizam, students explored how to use open-source data to enhance their journalism projects for the Science and Environmental Reporting course.

Yao Hua emphasized the importance of a journalist’s mission, reminding students to focus on facts and public service rather than personal or corporate interests. He noted, “Journalism is an honorable profession that provides fulfilling public service when your stories truly help people in need.” Particularly when Yao shared the journalism elements that resonated deeply with him—all of the students were stunned. “Journalism is a form of loyalty to citizens but also an obligation to the truth,” said Yao. Once a scientist, Yao decided to shift to journalism to follow his passion.  

Students were enthusiastic about Yao Hua’s practical tools and techniques for uncovering hidden stories and developing impactful reports for existing school platforms like the Shah Alam Times. He also explained how to use social media, Google Street View, Earth satellite data, government reports, and more to enrich student reports on environmental issues. Many expressed their newfound motivation to pursue careers in journalism, inspired by Yao Hua’s work and words.

Five groups of students presented their project and received feedback for improvement based on the lecture activities provided by Yao Hua, which enriched the quality of reporting by the students for their final term project. 

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Inspiring action and reflection

The students responded with positivity and enthusiasm, finding inspiration in Yao Hua’s work and words. One student remarked, “I discovered that journalism can help many people get justice for themselves.” Others expressed a commitment to applying the lessons learned to educate, engage, and relate with the public on environmental issues.

During the group reflection, some students shared how deeply moved they were by journalism’s power to uphold justice—so much so that they now feel inspired to pursue careers in investigative journalism, driven by a newfound passion for uncovering the truth.

They expressed gratitude for the opportunity to engage with an industry expert. A participant shared, “Thank you so much to the organizers for arranging this small but significant talk. I think students from other faculties would also appreciate such intimate programs. I hope to see more events like this in the future!”

A foundation for future collaboration

This event marks the beginning of an exciting partnership between UiTM Shah Alam and the Pulitzer Center, aiming to empower young communicators to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and other pressing environmental challenges in Malaysia.