Four journalists have received fellowship award in anti-tobacco journalism in Bangladesh from Dhaka Ahsania Mission. They are Masud Rumee (Kaler Kantho), Dolar Mehedi (71 TV), Jannatul Ferdous Panna (Amader Natun Somoy) and Md. Akhtaruzzaman (Amader Orthoniti).
The names of four journalists who received fellowship awards from Dhaka Ahsania Mission were announced through a virtual event on July 7. Lead Policy Advisor of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Bangladesh Md. Mostafizur Rahman presided over the program.
Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Md. Mokbul Hossain was the chief guest and Zafar Wazed, Director General of Press Institute of Bangladesh were the special guests at the award ceremony.
Iqbal Masud, Director, Health and WASH Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, delivered the welcome speech. SM Rashedul Islam, General Secretary of Economic Reports Forum also congratulated the fellowship awardees as speaker guest. Md. Shariful Islam, Project Coordinator, Tobacco Control Project, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, gave a special presentation on the Fellowship at the event moderated by Rezaur Rahman Rizvi, Media Manager, Tobacco Control Project, Dhaka Ahsania Mission.
Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Md. Mokbul Hossain congratulated the awardees of the fellowship and called upon them to prepare and publish regular reports emphasizing on the amendment of the existing tobacco control laws. He said that journalists are the pride of the society. They can make people aware of good or bad. The more journalists will write about the health risk of using tobacco products, the more people will benefit. I specially thank the Dhaka Ahsania Mission for giving fellowship to journalists in anti-tobacco journalism in Bangladesh.
Zafar Wazed, Director General of the Press Institute of Bangladesh, said that journalists are doing a lot to raise public awareness during the Corona pandemic. I believe that the anti-tobacco activities will continue to generate public opinion and the government will take initiative to amend the Tobacco Control Act for protecting public health.
In April this year, the Dhaka Ahsania Mission’s Tobacco Control Project called for applications from the media to provide fellowships in anti-tobacco journalism with the theme ‘Amendment of the law is a necessity to build a tobacco-free Bangladesh’. After the preliminary selection, 25 journalists participated in the workshop. A total of 21 reports by 14 journalists were published. Out of these, 4 reports were selected as the best and the reporters were given fellowship awards. Fellowship awardees will receive a certificate as well as a prize money of 20,000 taka. The other participants who submitted the report will also receive certificates, according to the Dhaka Ahsania Mission’s Tobacco Control Project.