Media should address needs of ethnic communities
The media should address the genuine needs of the indigenous people in a proper way through detailed and objective reports, speakers said at a roundtable at Kamalganj in Moulvibazar yesterday.
Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) organised the roundtable with the support of the Delegation of the European Commission to Bangladesh under the project titled 'Bridging Media and Ethnicity'.
The speakers at the roundtable on 'Bridging gap between media and ethnic communities' said there are so many issues concerning the ethnic people's rights and the media hardly highlight them.
They suggested that the media should focus on the indigenous people's rights rather than portraying just their livelihood and cultural activities.
They stressed the need for ensuring greater representation of the indigenous people in the media so that their genuine problems and issues can be addressed.
However, journalists participating in the discussion said they need adequate and reliable sources of information for reporting the issues of ethnic communities. They sought cooperation from the members of the ethnic community in this regard.
Journalist Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina presented the keynote paper at the roundtable. Tahmina in her paper said journalists must maintain objectivity in reporting the ethnic issues and play a proactive role in bridging the gap between media and ethnic communities.
Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI, stressed better understanding of human rights of the ethnic communities through a shared upbringing so that the media can cover appropriate and accurate news in time.
Shahana Huda, manager (Media and Communication) of Manusher Jonno Foundation, moderated the roundtable attended by 24 community/NGO representatives and local journalists.
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