Business-media ties key to better reporting, better business

Journalists are facing problems in gathering information needed for complete and objective reports due to their poor access to information, a discussion was told in Dhaka yesterday.
Newspaper reports must have clarity with details of the issue for in-depth analysis but reporters often fail to do so as it is very difficult for them to collect information from government offices and business houses, according to a press release.
Media houses should develop information banks that will help reporters write better reports, the participants told the discussion titled 'Financing Needs of Enterprises'.
Moreover, businesspeople and enterprises should also provide necessary information for journalists to avoid wrong, incomplete and vague reporting, the participants added.
They suggested more interactions with the business-people will help the reporters and gatekeepers of the print and electronic media to select business issues.
Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) organised the programme in collaboration with Internatio-nal Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB) with support from the International Republican Institute (IRI).
This discussion was the first of a series of meetings to be held in Dhaka and Chittagong with the objectives to improve the quality, accuracy and usefulness of information on business, economics and public policy in media reports.
IBFB President Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury highlighted the issues of high interest rate of bank loans and traditional banking facilities, which need better press coverage.
Inam Ahmed, news editor of The Daily Star, moderated the session. Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI, also spoke.