Journalism to promote local business
Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI, speaks at the inaugural session of an orientation on business journalism in Jessore yesterday. Ekram Ud Daula (C), editor of the daily Kalyan, and Fakir Shawkat, Jessore correspondent of BSS, were also present. Photo: MRDI
Business journalism can be a useful tool for promoting local business by highlighting the problems, prospects and challenges of businesses, and drawing attention of the policymakers.
This was observed by participants in an orientation session for journalists held in Jessore yesterday, said a statement.
Business Journalists' Network (BJN), Jessore, and Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) jointly organised the programme under the auspices of KATALYST that works in the field of SME (small and medium enterprise) promotion.
The nature and scopes of business journalism, its contribution to promoting small business and national economy, and capacity building of the local newspapers and business journalists were discussed in the session.
Resource persons of the programme gave useful tips to the participants about spotting good business stories, technique of investigation, writing skills and making business reports more readable and interesting.
The participants discussed the state of local business, coverage of business issues in the local newspapers, how to find right issues for business reporting, news sources, and research and analytical skills of the reporters.
They noted that more interactions between journalists and businesspeople will ensure better and objective coverage of the issues.
SME financing, micro enterprises, trade facilitation at rural level and border trade also came up for discussion in the session.
BJN was formed recently under the initiative MRDI with the objective to facilitate information exchange between business journalists and small businesses.
As a follow-up of the orientation session, BJN and MRDI will organise similar programmes as well as field visits by local journalists to assess the issues and state of small businesses in the region and go for future interventions.
A total of 30 local journalists including correspondents of national print and electronic media and editors of local dailies participated in the programme facilitated by senior journalists from Dhaka.
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