The Bangladesh Journalism Conference 2026 will be held in Dhaka next May. The two-day conference will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the capital on May 8 and 9, with more than 500 participants expected to join. Journalism experts from 10 countries will also participate as discussants.
This information was shared by Hasibur Rahman, Executive Director of Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), at a press conference held at The Daily Star Center in Dhaka on Thursday morning. MRDI is organizing the conference to mark its 25th anniversary.
At the press conference, Hasibur Rahman said the event aims to address the challenges facing independent journalism and outline future directions. Owners, editors, journalists, researchers, development workers, teachers, students, and civil society representatives are being brought together on a single platform so that coordinated initiatives can be taken to improve the quality of journalism. MRDI believes it is important to highlight the responsible role of the media in a new democratic context.
The conference will focus on issues such as objective investigative reporting, improving the quality of public interest journalism, safeguarding ethics amid technological change, and developing accountability frameworks to address the crisis of public trust in the media. It will also highlight inclusive newsrooms, particularly increasing women’s participation.
Organizers hope the conference will help create a foundation for promoting Bangladeshi journalism in the international arena and elevating it to global standards.
Journalists, editors, researchers, teachers, development workers, and civil society representatives from home and abroad will take part in the conference.
International experts include Michael Cook, former editor of the Canadian newspaper Toronto Star; investigative journalist and filmmaker Julian Sher; Zafar Abbas, editor of Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper; Kunda Dixit of Nepali Times; and others.
The press conference said the conference will feature a total of 12 sessions with more than 20 speakers. The program will include plenary sessions, thematic discussions, parallel tracks, and master classes.
In addition, four helpdesks will be set up at the venue on investigative journalism, Right to Information (RTI), fact-checking, and mental health support.
Key topics will include investigative journalism, media self-regulation, accountability and grievance redress mechanisms, freedom of the media, digital transformation, data use, gender equality, and journalist safety.
How to register
Participants must register through MRDI’s designated website (https://bdjc.mrdibd.org/). Registration will begin at 12 midnight today. After registration, applicants will go through a selection process, and selected participants will receive a QR code required for entry into the conference.
There are four registration categories: journalists, MRDI alumni, students, and others. However, students must complete MRDI’s online Basic Journalism course to be eligible. Selection for student participation will be based on the results of this course.
Fellowships will be provided to 15 journalists from outside Dhaka.
The conference is supported by the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), and the Swedish government as knowledge partners, while UNESCO and the UN Ballot Programme are listed as platinum partners.
