Media, CSOs should collaborate more on energy issues

The media can make use of civil society organisations' (CSOs) manpower and resources for investigation and data analysis, as most media outlets do not have such teams, said speakers at a discussion yesterday.

They said although coverage of energy-related stories has increased since the pandemic, there is still room for improvement.

The Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) organised the discussion, titled "Sustainable Energy Transition: News Media-Civil Society Collaboration," at YWCA Bhaban in Dhaka.

We all talk about Dhaka only. But we need to talk to rural people to understand their needs. We need to find local experts to express their problems.

— Khondaker Golam Moazzem Research director at CPD

At the event, various media managers joined representatives from CSOs working on energy transition.

Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said most media outlets have a top-down approach to producing news and analysis.

"We all talk about Dhaka only. But we need to talk to rural people to understand their needs. We need to find local experts to express their problems," he said, adding that CSOs should take more proactive roles alongside media leaders.

Sharier Khan, executive editor of The Business Standard, urged CSOs to conduct new studies or find new ways to make themselves "news-worthy".

He said the National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas once campaigned passionately, but since then no similar civil organisation has emerged. "Journalists write as much as they can. But we can't find the voices from the people."

In a keynote presentation, Kuntal Roy, Asia regional team lead of the Global Strategic Communications Council, said CSOs have produced and disseminated substantial public data in recent years through research reports, briefings and other publications. "There should be some collaboration between the CSOs and the media for a sustainable energy transition," he said.

The discussion was moderated by MRDI Executive Director Hasibur Rahman and attended by Editor-in-Chief of Maasranga TV Rejoanul Haq, Editor of Samakal Shahed Muhammad Ali, Acting Editor of Dhaka Tribune Reaz Ahmad, Director of the Centre for Energy Research at United International University Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, and Founder of Bright Green Energy Foundation Dipal Barua, among others.