Clicky
National, Back Page

Online course on media law, ethics, and digital safety launched


Bangladeshpost
Published : 30 Jan 2020 09:22 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 12:04 PM

In the age of social media, citizens are not safe from the risks that affect journalists, and there is no alternative to developing awareness and technological skills for everyone to keep up with the changing times, speakers at a programme said.

The remarks came at the launch of an online course on media law, media ethics, and digital rights and safety at hotel Amari Dhaka in the capital on January 29. UK-based rights body Article 19 and German leading media development organization DW Akademie launched the platform as part of a project funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). A research publication on journalism education in Bangladesh was also launched at the event, along with presentations of six projects developed for tech-based solutions to journalism and media issues. 

Speaking at the programme, Faruq Faisel, Regional Director Bangladesh and South Asia for Article 19, said, “In this age of social media, the difference between journalists and non-journalists have been blurred. Police can arrest me for posting a status update on Facebook.”

Referring to the recently-passed Digital Security Act, he said apart from journalists, rights activists and bloggers must also be aware of their digital rights and laws. 

The 10-week online course is divided into three parts -- digital rights and safety, media laws and media ethics. Anyone can take the course free of cost, using their computers or even smartphones.

Upon completion of the course, participants will get certification from DW Akademie and Article 19.

Dr Asif Nazrul, who helped design the course, said, “Journalism has become difficult. We have seen attacks on the judiciary, and misuse of information technology [in recent times]. We were fully aware of this perspective while designing the course. We designed it with the aim of promoting safe, smart and responsible journalism.” 

When a journalist knows legal processes and their rights and entitlement, it gives them the sense of security, he said, underscoring the need for journalists to know of their legal rights. 

Earlier, in her welcome speech, DW Akademie Country Manager for Bangladesh, India and Afghanistan, Priya Esselborn said, there is a gap between journalism education and practice in the country. 

Journalism is changing fast with the progress of technology, she said, adding that the media and journalists both have to adapt themselves to these changes.

Among others, Janina Islam Abir, a lecturer at the media and communications department of Independent University, Bangladesh; and Ines Dworschack-Borg, political attaché of the German Embassy in Dhaka, also spoke. 

At the programme, a research study on “Journalism education in Bangladesh: From aspiring journalists to career professionals” was also launched at the event. Conducted by Prof Jude William Jenilo, Fahmidul Haq and Shameem Mahmud, it looks into the university-level education of journalism, career path of fresh graduates and various aspects of leading media outlets of the country. 

Speaking at the event, Prof Jude Genilo, head of the mass communication and journalism department at the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh, said journalism education at university level is expanding, while the media industry is also becoming bigger. He stressed on creating a connection between the two.

DW Akademie last year organized a “Media Tech Challenge” hackathon, in collaboration with the communications and journalism and computer science and engineering departments of Rajshahi University, and three leading media outlets of the country. 

At the three-day event at the Rajshahi University, journalists from The Daily Star, Radio Today and Channel i joined hands with students from the two departments in six teams and came up with solutions ranging from an artificial intelligence website to detect fake news, wearable to prevent sexual harassment of women, to a smartphone app for crowd-sourced data collection on environmental pollution.

The six teams yesterday at the event presented prototypes of their services. Among others, coordinator of the hackathon Andrea Marshall from DW Akademie, along with mentors Olga Kisselmann, Nur A Shawal Siddique and Bishwajit Pandey spoke about the projects.