TF, MRDI launch Inquirer Awards

FE Report Thomson Media Foundation (TF) and its Bangladesh partner, Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), with the support of the British High Commission in Dhaka have launched the Inquirer Awards 2012 - 2013. In a press release on Thursday, MRDI said tackling corruption in any society is a constant struggle, where objective reporting with determination and through proper pursuit of journalistic code of ethics and professional standards, can shed light on shoddy deals and shadowy areas. "In Bangladesh this is especially a challenging task for the media. Ranked 144th in Transparency International's 2012 corruption perception index, in a position between Nepal and Syria, it is still is a long way for the country to go for its businesses as well as uses of public funds to become transparent and clean as far as possible", it said. The Thomson Media Foundation (TF), alongside its Bangladesh partner MRDI with the support of the British High Commission in Dhaka, launched the 2012 - 2013 Inquirer awards for this purpose to provide assistance for upgradation of skill of the professionals in the relevant domain of journalism. The judges of the award are: Moazzem Hossain, Editor of The Financial Express; Farid Hossain, Bureau Chief of AP Bangladesh; Sharier Khan, Deputy Editor of The Daily Star; Shawkat Hossain Masum, News Editor of Prothom Alo and Miraj Ahmed Chowdhury, In-charge, Business Desk of Massranga TV. The award aims to encourage in-depth reporting of public finance- and transparency-related issues for the widest possible audience, supporting efforts to combat corruption. With MRDI which specializes in media and public finance outreach, TF is on the forefront to promote and encourage more coverage of such issues. The British High Commissioner Robert Gibson congratulated the three winners and commented, "I welcome the efforts made by all those who entered the competition to investigate issues that undermine public finance, business and overseas investment in Bangladesh. "In doing so, they have the full interest and support of their readers and viewers. The winning reports show the scale of the challenge but also demonstrate a high level of journalism in Bangladesh. Revealing facts behind such stories and exposing those people involved in corruption will, I hope, serve as a real warning to others." Commenting on the award, FE Editor Moazzem Hossain said: "It is encouraging to see that a good number of entries were made; some young professionals made their best efforts to file investigative reports, relevant to the areas about public resource management and 'shoddy' deals, demonstrating a great deal of their skill as much as potential. I hope this award will help widen the scope for the winners to enable them to continue their efforts in a professional manner, reflecting improvements of their skill and expertise, in pursuit of quality journalism, particularly in the field of investigative reporting on corruption-tainted issues, matters and developments. Upholding ethics, standards and norms of the profession will matter most for the purpose." MRDI executive director Hasibur Rahman said the award will help push the issues up the news agenda. "I believe to ensure transparency and accountability, news room leaders should be more attentive to publishing investigative reports on public finance management more frequently. This initiative is just a tip of the iceberg." Miraj Ahmed Chowdhury said this initiative has created a new wave of investigative reporting on public finance management in both print and electronic media. Reporters are now using reports of CAG, seeking information under the provisions of RTI (Right to Information) Act. They are raising pertinent questions about exercise of diligence in areas of public resource spending. This is a good beginning. This year's competition featured quality works in a wide array of areas pertaining to the key issue under consideration. Digging deep behind the numbers, by exercising the rights for freedom of information and through appropriate uses of official audit reports to get to the heart of the story and thus deepening the extent of investigation, has been a commendable work by a good number of reporters who had sent their entries for the competition. This year's Inquirer award winning reports are: In print category: first winner: a series report on corruption in the health sector by Shishir Moral and Kamrul Hasan, Special Correspondents of Prothom Alo; second winner: Report on corruption in public bank mortgage by Md. Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, Senior Staff Reporter, Daily Jugantor. In TV category: a series report on irregularities and corruption in Bangladesh railway by Muhammad Saurav Rahman, Staff Correspondent, Massranga TV. All the three winners will participate in a study tour to the UK. They will spend a week, meeting with leading reporters on South-East Asia, parliamentarians, diplomats and some prominent figures in the UK Bangladeshi community.