Editorial Website for Independent Media

The Challenge

An independent digital media outlet covering underreported social issues in Pakistan had a broken website requiring manual HTML code editing, taking 8+ seconds to load on mobile 3G networks, and frequently crashing. The editorial team could not publish breaking stories without technical bottlenecks.

The Approach

Prioritise editorial workflow simplicity over heavy page builders. Built a lightweight, custom CMS structure tailored for mobile-first audiences on low-bandwidth networks with under 10 active plugins and dedicated role tiers.

What Was Built

• Custom, lightweight WordPress theme built specifically for news publishing
• Optimised automated image compression pipeline for 3G networks
• Three-tier editorial permission structure (contributor, editor, administrator)
• Targeted 90-minute newsroom training session enabling immediate autonomous publishing
• Security hardening and edge caching configuration