Speakers at a national seminar on Wednesday called for stronger coordination between civil society organizations and the media to ensure more consistent, in-depth, and representative coverage of marginalized communities in Bangladesh.
They said such cooperation is essential to strengthening accountable governance and ensuring that the voices of disadvantaged groups are reflected in public discourse.
The observations were made at a seminar titled “Amplifying Marginalized Voices to Ensure Accountability: The Role of Civil Society Organizations and the Media”, organized under the project Expanding Civic Space through Active CSO Participation and Strengthened Governance System in Bangladesh (ECSAP), implemented by Christian Aid and co-financed by the European Union, with Somosti as the implementing organization.
Somosti Executive Director Mir Masruruzzaman welcomed participants and moderated the session.
State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin MP attended as chief guest and said the government is working for the development of disadvantaged communities, but research is essential to understand their real situation.
“Policy-making can be made more effective based on accurate information. A strong bridge between development organizations, civil society, and the media is needed to ensure the flow of information,” she said, adding that work for marginalized communities is not charity and that sustainable development is not possible without them.
At the event, guests unveiled the findings of the research titled “Amplifying Marginalized Voices to Ensure Accountability: The Role of Civil Society Organizations and the Media”, based on surveys, focus group discussions, expert interviews, and media analysis. The findings were presented by Somosti Research Director Rezaul Haque.
The study found that issues concerning marginalized communities are largely covered in an irregular and event-based manner in the media. As a result, their everyday realities, structural inequalities, and service-related challenges are not consistently reflected in national discourse.
It also highlighted a lack of context and depth in reporting, along with the limited presence of community voices as key gaps in media coverage.
The research further found that engagement between civil society organizations and the media remains largely informal, fragmented, and project-based, limiting the development of sustained and strategic collaboration. Constraints such as limited time and resources, editorial pressures, and sensitivities around reporting also affect coverage.
The report recommended stronger coordination among civil society organizations, the media, government agencies, and development partners. It called for integrating communication into program design, strengthening evidence-based storytelling, supporting local journalism and participatory media platforms, and ensuring more inclusive access to information.
EU Program Manager Laila Jesmin Banu emphasized the need for direct participation of marginalized communities and urged journalists to adopt a more sensitive approach.
UNESCO Bangladesh Representative Dr. Suzanne Vays said community radio and social media are playing an increasingly important role alongside mainstream media, but stressed that traditional media must remain responsible in addressing the risks associated with social media.
Christian Aid Partnership and Strategy Lead Nuzhat Jabin highlighted the need to narrow the gap between media and development organizations to strengthen marginalized voices.
Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation Shaheen Anam said media coverage should highlight both the challenges and achievements of marginalized communities.
Officials from the NGO Affairs Bureau and the National Institute of Mass Communication also spoke at the event.
Speakers underscored the need for sustained coordination among civil society, media, government, and development actors to ensure that marginalized issues are systematically reflected in public discourse and accountability systems are strengthened.
Participants called for continued dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders to implement the research recommendations.