Bangladeshi journalists welcome first TRF migration reporting course amid Rohingya crisis

With the Rohingya crisis underway in Cox’s Bazar, it was ideal timing for the Thomson Reuters Foundation to hold its first training course for Bangladeshi journalists on how to cover migration from January 21-25 this year. In total 15 journalists from Dhaka and across the country converged on a hotel in the diplomatic area of the city for a five-day course run by the Foundation’s Editor-in-Chief Belinda Goldsmith and Bangladesh correspondent Naimul Karim that was sponsored by the C&A Foundation.

Over the week they discussed the laws regarding migration, human trafficking and modern-day slavery, studied the statistics and leading research on these topics, and discussed and practiced how best to interview the people most affected in an ethical, safe manner. They also practiced writing stories that were fair, accurate and impartial, with compelling headlines, clear and engaging lead paragraphs, and strong news angles that would entice both editors and readers. They shared a list of tips for taking top photographs to accompany their stories and drew up a code of conduct for ethical journalism.

Several guest speakers joined the course to share their expertise, including Shakirul Islam,  the head of community-based migrant workers organization Ovibashi Karmi Unnayon Program, the founder of the women workers’ welfare group  AWAJ Foundation Nazma Akter, BRAC programme managers Linda Patentas and Shariful Islam, and Nahida Rahman Shumona, a director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The week concluded with a team dinner and a “Dragon’s Den” session in which all of the journalists pitched a new story regarding migration, human trafficking and slavery with the top seven to receive a mentor over the next few months to help them shape the story for publication.

The Bangladesh course was one of a series of courses on covering migration and trafficking and slavery that are being run around the globe this year by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in partnership with the C&A Foundation.

For more information about our journalist training courses, click here.