A three-day training on basic journalism for ethnic youths began in Rangamati yesterday with an aim to ensure their representation in the mainstream media and facilitate better coverage of the ethnic groups.
Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) organised the programme under a project titled 'Bridging Media and Ethnicity' supported by the Delegation of the European Commission to Bangladesh, says a press release.
A total of 20 youths from different ethnic groups in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts are taking part in the training conducted by Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina, freelance journalist, Sharier Khan, deputy editor, The Daily Star, Shahana Huda, manager, Media and Communications, Manusher Jonno Foundation, and Hari Kishore Chakma, staff reporter of the daily Prothom Alo.
Following the training, four participants will be selected for a 6-month journalism internship in two local newspapers, the daily Suprobhat Bangladesh and the daily Purbokone.
The project has been undertaken after a study showed that representation of ethnic people in the media houses stands at a minimum level.
The findings also revealed that the media tend to portray merely cultural activities of the ethnic people rather than focusing on the state of their human rights.
At the inaugural session, Hasibur Rahman, executive director, MRDI, said that if ethnic youths are trained, it will create opportunities for them to work in the media and they will take greater interest of their own community in the media.
AKM Moksud Ahmed, editor, The Daily Giri Darpan, inaugurated the training and shared some of his experiences on CHT issues. Sunil Kanti Dey, CHT correspondent of the daily Sangbad and local coordinator of MRDI, also shared his experiences on journalism in CHT.
The overall goal of the project is to mainstream ethnic communities through nurturing a culture of human rights and promoting equality, tolerance and peace.
To achieve the goal MRDI has taken comprehensive initiative to reduce the gap between the media and ethnic people. The project already completed in-house training for journalists in five local media houses, and will arrange training for journalists of the national print and electronic media.