Three journalists have received the ActionAid Young Journalist Media Award 2021, while four other journalists have received fellowships.
The awards were handed over at a program arranged by Action Aid Bangladesh at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) auditorium on Sunday.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud attended the program as chief guest and former Chief Information Commissioner Professor Dr Md Golam Rahman, chair of the event, announced the names of the winners.
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Md Iqbal Hossain, reporter of Bangladesh Television (BTV), won under the journalism for promoting youth leadership for social transformation category; Miftahul Zannat, deputy managing editor of The Dhaka Apologue, won under the journalism for promoting youth responsive accountable public services category; and Md Sharful Alam, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, won under the journalism for promoting decent work and economic opportunities for young people category.
Besides, Babu Kamruzzaman, staff correspondent of News 24; Nilima Jahan, reporter of the Daily Star; M Yousuf Ali, Jahangirnagar University
correspondent of the daily Jugantor; Satej Chakma, chief reporter of IPNEWS BD, received fellowships.
Dr Hasan Mahmud said: “With the third eye, a journalist can identify the community's concerns and challenges for making effective solutions. There are many people in the society for whom no one thinks about, who cannot speak about their rights whereas journalists give them courage, dream, and voice for their rights.”
He urged the next generation of young journalists to take the responsibility of carrying out quality reporting and news investigation.
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He also called for organizing special pages for children in the newspapers as well as highlighting issues that the state, society, and government do not pay attention to.
Awardee Miftahul Zannat said: “People are talking about human rights and raising questions which sounds very hopeful to me. We should put more emphasis on these issues. I believe this award will help me create more responsible reports.”
An independent jury panel including A A Munir Hasan, Head, Youth Program, The Daily Prothom Alo; Borhanul Haque Shamrat, Senior News Editor, News 24; Dr Nazneen Ahmed, Country Economist at UNDP went through the reports and selected the winners.