May 30, 2005

NEWS / PROJECTS: Bangladesh launches children's news agency

SOURCE: UNICEF Bangladesh
 

Bangladesh launches children?s news agency

 

Dhaka, 30 May 2005: A dedicated news agency for children ?Shishu Prakash? (Children?s Express) was launched today to enhance both the quality and quantity of child development news in Bangladesh.

 

Supported by UNICEF and implemented by Mass-Line Media Centre (MMC), the pilot project aims to empower 640 young journalists (aged from 16 to 18) with the techniques for reporting child development issues.

 

Ten children (five boys and five girls) in each of the 64 districts throughout the country will identify and write news stories. These stories will be sent to the Dhaka-based Child Rights Desk set up at MMC to provide editorial oversight before the stories are published in ten selected national Bangla and English dailies.

 

It is envisaged that respect for child and adolescent rights in Bangladesh will improve as a result of the collaboration with pro-active newspapers and social networks.

 

Apart from regular reporting on children stories, Shishu Prakash will release more than 200 issue-based stories and periodic reports analyzing trends in child reporting by the national media in the pilot project which runs until the end of 2005.

 

Shishu Prakash will use global standard guidelines and checklists in reporting children?s issues. This is the first such initiative in South Asia.

 

Praising this initiative, speakers at the launching ceremony hoped that this will also increase children?s participation in the media.

 

END//

 

For more information, please contact:

Rezwan-ul-Alam

Assistant Communication Officer

Tel: Office: 9336701/392, Mobile: 0171 595045

 

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Chris Schuepp
Young People's Media Network - Coordinator
c/o ECMC (European Centre for Media Competence)
Bergstr. 8 / 10th floor
D-45770 Marl - Germany
 
Tel.: +49 2365 502480
Mobile: +49 176 23107083
Fax: +49 12126 23107083
Email: cschuepp@unicef.org
URL: www.unicef.org/magic
Mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/youthful-media
 
The YPMN is supported by UNICEF and hosted by the ECMC.
 
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