SM Humayun Kabir, Cox’s Bazar
An 11-member convening committee of the ‘Graduate Press Club, Cox’s Bazar’ has been formed with the slogan “Smart journalism on the path of development with tradition” in the commitment to enhancing professional skills and ethical journalism.
The convener was formed for the next 6 months with the consent of all those present at a meeting held at a prestigious hotel in Cox’s Bazar on February 27 among journalists from various media outlets. Later, a convening committee was finally approved on Saturday (March 1) based on the opinions of about 30 journalists with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and working in national and local media.
Rafiqul Islam, editor of News Vision and executive editor of weekly Jotsnalok, was unanimously elected as the convener and Md. Erfan Hossain, district representative of Dainik Purbakon and Bhorer Darpan, was elected as the member secretary. Rashedul Islam (District Correspondent, The Daily Messenger and Bangladesh Bulletin), Antar De Vishal (Staff Reporter, Sangbad Sarabela and Chief Reporter, Public Relations), and Md. Bin Abdullah Max (District Correspondent, The Daily Tourist and Reporter, CBN) will serve as the joint conveners of this committee. The members of the said convening committee are Joy Baidya (staff reporter, Daily Samudrakantha and district correspondent, Daily Chitra), Anwar Hossain Bappi (district correspondent, Sokaler Alo), Riduanul Haque Jisan (Ukhia correspondent, Daily Sangram), Emran Uddin (Pekua correspondent, Daily Purbukone and special correspondent, Daily Desh Bartam), Anwar Hossain (staff reporter, BD News 24) and Abul Kashem (Kutubdia correspondent, NTV, Ajker Patrika and Daily Azadi). This organization has more than 30 members who work in national and local media. The organization’s goal is to ensure objective news coverage through professional standards improvement. The main goal of this organization, which consists of members with undergraduate and postgraduate educational qualifications, is to highlight the voice of the people through courageous and objective journalism. Their aim is to speak out against yellow journalism and give priority to the voice of the people. This organization is committed to playing an important role in promoting the professional standards of journalists in Cox’s Bazar, taking a stand against yellow journalism, increasing unity and cooperation among local journalists, and highlighting the voices of the people, as well as showcasing the tourism industry to the world. The organization will organize training and workshops to improve the skills of journalists. In addition, international standard training will be provided on topics such as digital journalism, fact-checking and data journalism. They also plan to establish a ‘Citizen Journalist Network’ in coordination with UNESCO’s ‘Media and Information Literacy (MIL)’ program. Media personalities called the initiative ‘highly relevant’, saying that combining the academic knowledge and field experience of local journalists brings about qualitative change. Local activists hope that the Graduate Press Club’s journey will usher in a new era in journalism in Cox’s Bazar.