Democracy and Human Rights Study Programme
Supported by: NORAD/Norwegian Embassy
Period: May 1999 – April 2001
Goals of the project were to increase Bangladeshi media’s understanding of democratic practice and human rights issues and improve their ability to play a greater role in this field. Activities which were taken to achieve the goals include i) writing skill development and motivational programme for local journalists, ii) conducting short studies/surveys and iii) setting up a media resource cell.
The project completed successfully in time. A four-day long six workshops for journalists were organised for their writing skill development and better understanding on democracy and human rights issues. The workshops were organised in different parts of the country. About 150 journalists participated in these programmes. Senior journalists and experts conducted the training sessions. Twenty four important short studies/surveys were conducted during the project period. Some of them were; Cyclone and Life in Costal Belt, Life in Enclaves, Women in Prison, Pre-Medical Examination, Administrative Reforms, Consumers Rights, Human Trafficking etc. All the studies were released to media for public and got wide coverage. By this time, News Network managed to set up a media resource cell in its office.