UNESCO Dhaka

Nazrana Chowhdury of NTV, one of the 12 private satellite television channels in Bangladesh, has won the UNESCO Bangladesh Journalism Award 2010 for the best investigative report. The report identifies some mistakes in the primary and secondary level text books.

Introduced in 2008 by UNESCO Dhaka, the award is already one of the most sought-after and prestigious journalism awards in Bangladesh. UNESCO has been conferring the award in investigative journalism in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) held on May 3 each year.

Abul Kalam Azad, Minister for Information and Cultural Affairs, handed over the award that carried a cash prize of Tk 50,000 and certificate to the winner at a ceremony held at a city hotel on 3 May 2010. The ceremony organised jointly by UNESCO Dhaka and UNESCO National Commission for UNESCO (BNCU) was attended by over 100 colleagues from the media sector who were eager to find out this year’s winners of UNESCO journalism award.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Bangladesh is happy to invite submission for UNESCO Bangladesh Journalism Award 2010. UNESCO Bangladesh has been giving away this award since 2008 as a part of its effort in promoting freedom of expression and media development in Bangladesh.

UNESCO supports creation of the first ever citizens' media forum in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh citizens are largely unexposed to the notion that they have a stake in the media. Newspaper readers or TV viewers are happy to play the passive consumers even as their counterparts in neighbouring India and Pakistan have started raising their voices on media issues. A strong relationship between the media and citizens based on mutual trust is crucial for developing and sustaining free and pluralistic media organisations and indeed for healthy democratic societies. But it's a process that has to be nurtured and built over time. There has been no serious attempt in this regard in Bangladesh, until recently.

The Daily Star bagged both the awards in the print media category while Channel i and Bangla Vision won one each for television reporting, says a UNESCO press release issued on 3 May 2009.

UNESCO Bangladesh Journalism Awards 2009 was given for the best investigative report carried or telecast in any Bangladeshi print and electronic media in 2008. There were two awards for the print and two for the electronic media with one award reserved for female reporters for both print and electronic media.