Seminar: Join us Friday, April 3rd in the Lamont Library Forum Room to hear from 2026 Harvard Nieman Fellow and journalist Yao Hua Law. During his fellowship, Yao Hua worked on a website that tracks how governments add and remove forest reserves in Peninsular Malaysia. He aims to help the media and the public study forest use and spot questionable changes.

In Malaysia, the federal government has pledged to keep forest and tree cover at 50% or more. However, the documents that describe forest reserve changes are kept behind paywall and largely unseen. As a result, the media and the public are unable to establish stable baselines, monitor changes, or know much beyond what the government chooses to show.

Yao Hua's project fills the data gap and connects the public with primary documents on forest reserve changes. Leveraging AI-assisted coding, library GIS services, and lots of archival research, his tool tracks forest reserve changes in Peninsular Malaysia. This new website opens access to paywalled government documents, GIS data, and Harvard Map Collection materials. Join us in person April 3rd from 1:30-2:30 to hear about Yao Hua’s methodology and findings, and how working with Harvard Library made this research possible.

Bio: Yao Hua Law is a journalist from Malaysia who blends field reporting with data and maps to examine sustainable use of natural resources. He co-founded Macaranga Media in 2019, Malaysia's only environmental newsroom. His stories have exposed and stopped illegal deforestation and led to court trials on indigenous land-rights. He has received international and national awards for data journalism, investigative reporting, and narrative writing. Yao Hua is a Nieman Fellow 2026 at Harvard University.

Getting here: Non-Harvard attendees please bring a photo ID on the day of the event matching the name you register with. The event will take place in the Lamont Forum Room, which is on floor three of Lamont Library. Attendees can request directions to the Forum Room from staff at the building entrance turnstiles, or the circulation desk on the first floor. Be mindful of noise when navigating the corridors and event space, as floor three is a quiet study zone.