Taufique Ahmed

Taufique Ahmed has been working at Channel i, Bangladesh’s leading private satellite TV channel, since 2003. Currently, Taufique is Manager of Program Development in the News & Current Affairs department at Channel i, which was launched in 1999. His tasks include responding to viewers’ questions, comments and/or complaints regarding news programming and scheduling. He also monitors and supervises social media in the Development Journalism department – and blogs regularly in Bengali and English.

What was the most exciting topic that you worked on in the recent past?
Farmers’ Voices in Budget, a TV dialogue session between farmers and policymakers was a great way to explore how thousands of farmers talk about their demands in front of the key policymakers of the country, mostly ministers. I was part of the production team covering this unique event and was able to see in depth how media has played a role in awakening farmers from the grassroots level in a country like Bangladesh.

Do you have a personal motto for your journalistic work?
I want to stay honest, dedicated and precise in my work. I respect journalism as the noblest of professions, where you don’t sell lies, but rather you inform people with the right information.

Is there a situation or story that has changed your life?
An audio slideshow that I produced in Berlin during my visit to Deutsche Welle in 2009 as a participant of a Web 2.0 workshop changed my life and still inspires me to carry on with my work. The link is here: Berlin stands on history.

Taufique Ahmed (left)

What do you love about your work?
I love the working environment. I have nice colleagues from whom I am learning endlessly.

And what do you hate?
Nothing much really.

Your journalistic dream would be…
I want to be an editor of an online news station who will be supervising the multimedia journalism department. I’d love to be a regular podcaster.

Your most important tool is …
…the internet and mobile phones.

What do still want to learn? Is there a question about your profession that you keep asking yourself?
I want to learn video and sound editing. It’s quite important nowadays for a journalist. ‘More systematic’ would be my earnest demand. If everything happened more orderly by the end of the day, it would have been much better.

Taufique Ahmed

Do you have a blog or website?
Yes: tfqhmd.wordpress.com and more. I don’t have a website of my own.

What is your favorite website? Which website do you visit every day?
Mashable, Radiolab and Media Helping Media.

How much time do you spend online every day?
Almost all day, in fact.

Do you use social networks? Twitter, Facebook or others?
Who doesn’t? Facebook.com/onlinejournalist, twitter.com/taufiqueahmed, twitter.com/iwesocial, facebook.com/iwesocial, about.me/tfqhmd

What makes social media special for you?
Social media is a broadcaster in itself. You get the news here before anyone actually plans to write it professionally. And, your network is the key to spreading your very own thoughts.

If you could write a text message to the world, what would it be?
Let us be humans in a true sense.

New media pioneer Shahidul Alam

UNESCO has defined digital literacy as “the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers”. With the emergence of social networking, digital literacy has become a major factor in enabling people to raise their voices, communicate, collaborate and pursue wide-scale social and political reforms.

People begin to think digitally when material things are not the only measurable items, Shahidul Alam says. As a promoter of new media, he helped introduce email to Bangladesh in 1994 and set up the first web portal in the country. Alam is also a founding member and advisor in the LEARN Foundation, which is dedicated to information and communication technology (ICT) training in rural regions.Watch the video interview and find out more:

Now it’s your turn. Do you know how digitally literate you really are? The Digital Literacy Survey is a useful and fun self-assessment tool to find out just how computer-savvy you are. It was designed by the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Foundation. You can measure your own perceived levels of digital literacy against your actual abilities based on common ICT tasks. It’s available in almost 20 different languages, including Cambodian, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese.

by Juan Ju and Thorsten Karg

Photo by 'uncultured' / flickr

Natural disasters like cyclones and floods are a regular phenomenon in my native country Bangladesh.

As a result, the media there frequently reports on natural disasters. But working on these types of stories requires a special approach, two journalists working in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka told me.

Mustafizur Rahman is a journalist from New Age, a daily English newspaper published in Dhaka. Iftekhar Mahmud works for Prothom Alo, the leading Bengali newspaper in Bangladesh. They shared their experiences and opinions on what preparations journalists should take before and while covering a natural disaster. Mustafizur and Iftekhar say a reporter faces many challenges when going to cover an area hit by a natural disaster. Before departing to the region, a journalist should of course be sure to check his equipment. But there are other key issues to remember when writing a report on the affected area and its people.

Eyewitness reporting

Mustafizur Rahman

“Reporting on a disaster is different from general reporting, because the reporter has to personally go to the area that he wants to write about,” said Mustafizur. “You can collect information about anything by making a telephone call or by interviewing some experts. But when you are reporting about a natural catastrophe, you must see what happened there. You have to be an eyewitness of the suffering of the affected people. Your imagination will not be enough to project their suffering in your report.”

The right equipment

Following a natural disaster, the affected area often lacks everyday facilities like electricity, drinking water, etc. Sometimes the telecommunications system also breaks down. Keeping this in mind, a reporter should come prepared and carry the necessary equipment.

Iftekhar Mahmud

Iftekhar visited areas hit by two big cyclones in Bangladesh: Aila in 2009 and Sidr in 2007. He explains that he needed added preparations for reporting from these regions.

“When going to cover any area hit by a disaster, you should take first aid and medicine, enough dry food and drinking water,” he says. “For reporting, you need a recorder as well as a camera. Don’t forget your laptop and take two internet modems – in case one doesn’t work – extra batteries and a charger and multiple plugs with cables.” Iftekhar adds that it’s better to take a life jacket if you have to travel by boat.

A contact address

It’s usually necessary to stay in a disaster-hit area for a longer period in order to report accurately. In this case, it’s necessary to arrange a place where you can stay overnight. This contact address is also important for your employer so that they can contact you anytime they need or can send you anything you need.

“In this case, I always try to contact an NGO or an aid organization before I reach the affected area,” says Mustafizur, who traveled to the area hit by hurricane Aila in 2009 and has also reported from flood areas in recent years. “They help me to arrange a place where I can stay overnight.”

Necessary numbers

Covering disasters doesn’t only mean reporting the facts and the suffering of the people. A journalist should also report on the cause of the disaster, rescue efforts or any lack of aid. It’s therefore important to talk to various aid organizations, rescue forces as well as local authorities to report on the various aspects. In preparation, the reporter should make sure to pack all the necessary phone numbers and addresses of his interviewees.

Keep your cool

A reporter traveling to an area hit by a natural disaster has to be prepared to encounter disturbing images. Iftekhar recalls the shocking scenario after Aila and Sidr.

Iftekhar Mahmud

“I saw many dead bodies that were floating in the river along with the dead animals,” he says. “I almost couldn’t breathe because the air was full of stink and poison, and the condition of the people who survived was miserable. It was unimaginable. Sometimes I was exhausted from seeing all this misery.” Iftekhar, who has covered many disaster-affected areas in the past few years, recommends that a reporter has to be mentally prepared for facing any kind of a situation when covering a disaster. Without strong nerves, it is not possible to cover a natural disaster, he says.

Reporting isn’t activism

Even though a reporter is a human being, he should not forget about his professional duties. Despite the humanitarian situation, a journalist should keep looking for stories on the cause and effect of natural hazards. He himself should not engage in the relief work. Instead, the reporter should contact experts and find out about any possible negligence from the authorities – keeping in mind to relate both sides of the story.

Resources for reporters

The UN has published a handbook for journalists who cover natural catastrophes: “Disaster Through a Different Lens.” As the title suggest, this booklet focuses on disaster risk reduction. It gives tips for reporting and contains useful information on different types of natural disasters like droughts, earthquakes and hurricanes. In addition, it presents some risk-reduction lessons learnt from previous disasters like the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines or the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan. It even lists some disaster risk reduction resource centers, publications and experts.

After a disaster has occurred, most reporters will look for follow-up stories. According to the book, you can find angles for such stories if you

1. investigate the lack of early warning,

2. probe the lack of urban planning, and

3. question the preparedness of those responsible in the disaster management department of the authorities.

Another good source of information about disaster preparedness is the booklet “Disaster Programme Information and Reporting,” published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. You can download it for free. Among other things, it explains how journalists can collect data in the disaster-hit area.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has also published a manual that can come in handy for reporters. It’s called “Disaster and Crisis Coverage” and is also available for free as a pdf download.

Training on disaster management

Different branches of the Red Cross and Red Crescent offer training programs and workshops on disasters, in which reporters can participate.

There are also many public and private organizations and institutes in Asia who offer different training courses on disaster management. The Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) provides different workshops on disaster management for journalists, which help reporters understand various aspects of a disaster.

There are also training programs offered by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Here is a list of upcoming training programs, which include training on disaster management and the role of the media.

In India, there are many institutes that offer disaster management courses. Follow this link to find the names of the institutes from every state of India.

Author: Riazul Islam

Riazul Islam is a student enrolled in the International Media Studies program at DW Akademie. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, he started working there as a reporter eight years ago. He has worked for different newspapers and radio stations, including DW’s Bengali service.

Of his winning shot, photojournalist GMB Akash says, “It shows eight year old Munna who works in a rickshaw factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The boy earns about 500 taka (7 U.S. dollars) a month, working 10 hours a day. When production often stops due to lack of electricity, he has time to play. It is common in Bangladesh for children of poor parents to work in various hazardous and labor-intensive

First Place Winner: “Children’s Hands” by GMB Akash

workplaces to support their families. Seventeen and a half percent of all children aged between 5-15 are engaged in economic activities. The average child worker earns between 400 to 700 taka per month, while an adult worker earns up to 5,000 taka per month.” One U.S. dollar equals about 70 taka.

The other winning photographs of the “KLICK!” competition were “Multi Kulti” (“Multiculturalism”) by Josef Hinterleitner of Austria and “Drinking Water” by Monowara Begum Moni, a journalist from Bangladesh who lives in Stuttgart, Germany.

Over the past several weeks, photographers from around the world were invited to submit their entries pertaining to the theme of this year’s Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum, human rights and globalization. The submissions can be viewed online as part of an interactive world map and in a Facebook gallery.

In an initial selection process, Internet users nominated 30 finalists. These were on

Second Place Winner: “Multiculturalism” by Josef Hinterleitner

display during the three-day conference held in Bonn, Germany, in June. Of the 30 finalist pictures, conference delegates elected their three favorites to determine the top three winners.

“Child labor can be combated if parents receive working wages that allow them to feed their families,” said Julia Naumann, spokesperson of

Third Place Winner: “Drinking Water” by Monowara Begum Moni

Amnesty International Germany, referring to the winning photograph. “Children need access to schooling and education. That is key to escaping poverty.”

By Taufique Ahmed, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is shocked by what has happened in Japan. People here have closely followed the news to get the latest updates from newspapers, TV, radio and online. 

It’s very tough for the media to handle what’s happening in Japan, as there is also another big issue that the people of Bangladesh worry about very much. Many people here are still taken aback by the latest events in Libya, because many Bangladeshis live and work there and have now become victims of the uprising in this North African country.

Japan's tsunami and earthquake are still important news in Bangladesh, as this country is also one of the sufferers of climate change. Nonetheless, Japan's nuclear crisis is also getting attention in the newspapers and at TV and radio stations here as the situation worsens.

Audiences wanted more than radio and TV could deliver

Government-owned radio and TV treated the triangle of disaster, i.e. earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe, in a diplomatic way. They were not doing any in-depth reporting asking why Japan was actually facing this disaster. They only covered the consequences in Japan that seemed unusual. Most of the people didn’t follow these stations.

TV stations couldn’t properly cover the disaster relief efforts in Japan – news on food, shelter and medication for the survivors of the disaster. Instead, viewers were always taken to the story of how the nuclear reactor burst. But that wasn’t what the audience wanted. Almost everyone was trying to find out how the survivors were actually getting through this tough time. 

Radios didn’t play that much of a role in this completely traumatic situation. They were only covering regular news without any breaking news updates. But whenever they did, it was all about the nuclear crisis or radiation leaks and about the death toll.

Newspapers do in-depth reporting

Bangladesh's newspapers, however, brought some insight about the disaster in Japan. They ran some probing articles, interviewed environment specialists, and presented the history of earthquakes in Japan.

The newspapers gave the tsunami more attention than the electronic media. They also asked the question how Bangladesh could tackle such a big disaster – what if Bangladesh was in place of Japan? People liked these kinds of articles more than what was actually happening at the reactors.  

In Bangladesh, newspapers principally rule the media. People all across the country devote most of their time to reading the papers.

As Bangladesh is vulnerable to earthquakes and other natural disasters, newspapers ran big stories about the earthquake, pointing out particulars of such a disaster.

Nevertheless, there still are not many stories on rescue efforts, even though people would like to hear more from survivors and how they experienced everything.

The people of Bangladesh were always checking the numbers of casualties and homeless people. They were really shocked and left condolence messages in newspapers or called different news offices to know more about the number of people who died.
People got very anxious seeing the pictures on TV of the tsunami waves crushing the city of Sendai.

Beside the local media, they particularly followed the live footage on BBC and CNN; on the other hand, journalists and a particular group who consume online media, stayed updated via mobile and the web. 

The crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant takes center stage

The nuclear issue became stronger in Bangladeshi newspapers as the story developed. Graphic images of the reactors showing what actually happened made the people more curious. Even in the tea-stalls, people shared their views on such a critical issue, which they did not even know about before seeing those images.    

Right now, all the news media are trying to focus on how Japan will actually recover from this great loss, as people are very much eager to know more about Japan’s future.

Photo credits:

People reading news pasted on wall in Old Dhaka by flickr / Sandy & Alan , courtesy of Creative Commons license

"Dhaka Daily News" by flickr / joiseyshowaa, courtesy of Creative Commons license