'Media's proactive role vital to protect ethnic rights'
Monday, 18 August 2008
Indigenous community leaders, social activists, government officials and journalists Thursday stressed the need for the media's proactive role to protect the rights of ethnic communities through projecting their sufferings.
They said the media could be used as a powerful tool for disseminating information about the ethnic groups and drawing attention of the policymakers to resolve their problems, said a press release.
The observations came at a roundtable titled "Bridging gap between Media and Ethnic Communities", held in Madhupur, Tangail organised by Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), under a project "Bridging Media and Ethnicity", supported by the Delegation of the European Commission to Bangladesh.
The main objective of the roundtable was to reduce gap between the media and GO/NGOs/CBOs working for ethnic rights.
On the other hand, journalists said they need authentic sources of information while reporting on major ethnic issues, but very few people dare to provide information. For in-depth reporting on ethnic issues, they sought cooperation from the community. They also raised the issue of creating opportunity for media's capacity building on these issues.
Two keynote papers were presented in the roundtable by Runa Laila, assistant professor of Women and Gender Studies, Dhaka University; and journalist Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina.
Tahmina said the indigenous people are deprived of adequate media coverage. Issues relating to their rights and sufferings are not reflected in the media reports. She suggested that journalists concentrate on objective and in-depth reporting on the ethnic communities.
Runa Laila highlighted the history and lifestyle of the indigenous people. She described how the indigenous people are being deprived of their rights and how other people treat them.
The roundtable was moderated by Special Correspondent of the Financial Express Syed Ishtiaque Reza and attended by about 20 indigenous community leaders, GO/NGO officials and journalists.
They said the media could be used as a powerful tool for disseminating information about the ethnic groups and drawing attention of the policymakers to resolve their problems, said a press release.
The observations came at a roundtable titled "Bridging gap between Media and Ethnic Communities", held in Madhupur, Tangail organised by Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), under a project "Bridging Media and Ethnicity", supported by the Delegation of the European Commission to Bangladesh.
The main objective of the roundtable was to reduce gap between the media and GO/NGOs/CBOs working for ethnic rights.
On the other hand, journalists said they need authentic sources of information while reporting on major ethnic issues, but very few people dare to provide information. For in-depth reporting on ethnic issues, they sought cooperation from the community. They also raised the issue of creating opportunity for media's capacity building on these issues.
Two keynote papers were presented in the roundtable by Runa Laila, assistant professor of Women and Gender Studies, Dhaka University; and journalist Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina.
Tahmina said the indigenous people are deprived of adequate media coverage. Issues relating to their rights and sufferings are not reflected in the media reports. She suggested that journalists concentrate on objective and in-depth reporting on the ethnic communities.
Runa Laila highlighted the history and lifestyle of the indigenous people. She described how the indigenous people are being deprived of their rights and how other people treat them.
The roundtable was moderated by Special Correspondent of the Financial Express Syed Ishtiaque Reza and attended by about 20 indigenous community leaders, GO/NGO officials and journalists.