LumaTouch announced last April that the company partnered with CNN Academy to train global cohort on best practices for authentic, ethical storytelling and reporting with LumaFusion on mobile devices. As a result of the new partnership announced during Mojofest 2025 in Dublin, LumaFusion is now the exclusive video editing application taught across CNN Academy training programs.
As part of its ongoing partnership with CNN Academy, LumaTouch will be delivering exclusive mobile video editing training with LumaFusion for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Simulation on Global Health Storytelling this week on November 17 – 22, 2025 at the Yas Creative Hub in Abu Dhabi.
According to the information shared by the company, the training, “delivered in partnership with Johns Hopkins, and in collaboration with the Creative Media Authority of Abu Dhabi, the CNN Academy Abu Dhabi Simulation is built around an immersive, real‑world scenario designed to cover a humanitarian crisis with storytelling that resonates globally—sharpening students’ reporting craft, on‑the‑ground newsgathering, ethical decision‑making, and performance under deadline pressure.”
“In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult for journalists and creators to discern which tools truly support their need for privacy and the ethical treatment of media, it is reassuring to know that CNN Academy is in direct alignment with our commitment to supporting truth, authenticity and ethical storytelling in journalism,” said Terri Morgan, co-founder of LumaTouch. “It is this steadfast commitment that led CNN to honor LumaFusion as the Official Mobile Video Editing App for the CNN Academy.”
As part of the CNN Academy partnership, Caroline Scott, director of content for the LumaTouch Academy, will lead a hands-on, practical curriculum focused on mobile editing techniques and skills using LumaFusion, the official mobile video editing app for the CNN Academy.
The curriculum in Abu Dhabi will feature best practices and tutorials on using the LumaFusion app and includes:
- Training Support: LumaTouch is providing LumaFusion training support throughout the Abu Dhabi Simulation program, including workshops, Q&A sessions and resource materials.
- LumaFusion Free for All CNN Academy Students: LumaTouch is also providing the LumaFusion mobile video editing app free of charge to all CNN Academy students.
During a high‑intensity, fictional humanitarian health crisis, students will learn to report with impact: gather news in real time using a custom social media monitoring tool, question officials and responders in mock press conferences and interviews, and shape fast‑moving updates into clear, compassionate coverage that serves affected communities and global audiences.
Working in teams, students will plan and produce a complete news package, all using a mobile phone and applying mobile journalism techniques introduced in pre‑simulation training. Throughout the week, CNN Academy trainers and academics from partner institutions lead masterclasses centered on scriptwriting for clarity and empathy, field production and visual sequencing, trauma‑informed interviewing, ethical decision‑making, verification and source vetting, and on‑deadline collaboration—so every editorial choice strengthens the story’s impact.
The CNN Academy 2025 Abu Dhabi Simulation also welcome participation from a number of teams and organizations, including:
- University College Dublin
- CNN Academy Abu Dhabi
- CNN Academy Erbil
- University of Nottingham Malaysia
- Johns Hopkins University
- CNN Academy Voices from the South course (various countries from across the Global South)
- Northwestern University in Qatar