'Investigative journalism can help rectify flaws in governance'

Winners of the TIB Investigative Journalism Award 2009 pose with the guests at the award giving ceremony at Brac Centre Inn in the city yesterday. Sitting from left are the Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad, TIB Chairman M Hafizuddin Khan and TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman. The winners are (standing from left) Dipu Sarwar, Md Nuruzzaman, Syed Ashfaqul Haque and Julfikar Ali Manik.Photo: STARStaff Correspondent

The role of investigative journalism is immense in raising public awareness and rectifying the flaws in the governance system, said Editor of the Prothom Alo Matiur Rahman at an award giving ceremony yesterday.

"But intimidation is a foremost obstacle to an investigative report," he said while speaking on challenges of investigative journalism in Bangladesh.

The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Investigative Journalism Award 2009 ceremony was held at Brac Centre Inn in the city.

Syed Ashfaqul Haque and Julfikar Ali Manik, chief news editor and senior reporter of The Daily Star respectively, Dipu Sarwar, staff reporter of television channel ETV, and Muhammad Nuruzzaman, Khulna bureau chief of the Dristipat, won this year's award under three categories.

The award carries a crest, a certificate and Tk 60,000.

Matiur Rahman said that most often, reaction from the government, administration, parliament member and politicians following the publication of an investigative report remains a serious issue.

There are many examples of murders and attacks on reporters following the publication of such reports, he added.

Matiur Rahman said newspaper editors and publishers too need training and better orientation and should be courageous and enterprising for desired performance of a mass media organisation.

Referring to a recent investigative report on the president's military secretary published in the Prothom Alo, he said that they took four years to do the report.

They even waited after the report was ready and contacted with the highest level of the government and intelligence agency, he added.

"At length we decided to run the story out of a sense of responsibility," he said. "We had to face pressure."

Pointing at another investigative report, Matiur Rahman said a powerful businessman has recently unleashed a malicious campaign against the Prothom Alo as it carried investigative reports on his dubious and unlawful activities.

Veteran journalist ABM Musa said, "Investigative journalism has always played a pivotal role in the downfall of any government."

Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad said the mass media should remain responsible and objective while enjoying the professional freedom.

TIB Trustee Board member Prof Muzaffer Ahmad, Adviser to ATN Bangla Nawazish Ali Khan and TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman attended the ceremony chaired by TIB Chairman M Hafizuddin Khan.

A total of 65 entries were submitted for this year's award.

The panel of adjudicators was comprised of journalists Syed Badrul Ahsan and Shaymol Dutta, Nawazish Ali Khan and Prof Sumaia Khair of Dhaka University.