Senior journalists in Bangladesh discuss role of the media in communicating local adaptation efforts at workshop organized by GCA and BBC Media Action
D
haka, Bangladesh, 13 August 2023 – The critical role of the media in communicating local adaptation efforts was discussed by over 20 senior television journalists in Dhaka, at a workshop organized by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and BBC Media Action on 13 August 2023.
Although Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change, local community efforts to adapt to climate change are rarely communicated or recognized in local and national media in Bangladesh. This was revealed by research carried out by BBC Media Action, which found that climate change coverage in Bangladesh is focused either on the negative impacts of climate change (such as floods, cyclones, and landslides), or on the international climate negotiations.
A key reason for this gap is the lack of opportunities for senior journalists in Dhaka to understand the role of the media in communicating local efforts and innovations to deal with climate impacts, according to the research. While local journalists propose stories on how communities are dealing with the impacts of climate change, these are often not prioritized by national desks.
Anju Sharma, GCA’s Global Lead on Locally Led Adaptation, emphasized the important and powerful role of the media in giving voice to poor communities who face the impacts of climate change, and find innovative ways to overcome them.
“This is the first time that the heads of the national desks, who make the decision on which stories should be covered, have been invited to a workshop to orient us on the importance of reporting locally led adaptation efforts,” said Prashanta Adhikary, Joint News Editor, Ntv Online.
“Such training opportunities should not only be limited to local correspondents, but include the entire chain, from those who take decisions on which stories are published, to those who write the scripts and edit footage,” said Dilshad Jahan Any, Deputy Chief News Editor, Deepto TV.
To address this gap, the GCA’s Global Hub on LLA has partnered with BBC Media Action to train and mentor 40 journalists and 20 youth on communicating locally led adaptation efforts in Bangladesh.
Gias Ahmed, Head of the National Desk, ATN News, called for mentoring support for local correspondents on scripting and shooting short but compelling stories that can be shown on national television.
Al Mamun, Country Director, BBC Media Action, committed to working with the entire chain of journalists, from the local to national, involved in generating stories and making decisions to air them, during the training and mentoring that will take place this year. Over 200 applications were received for the training from journalists, and from young people interested in communicating local adaptation efforts. Forty journalists and twenty youth leaders have been selected, and the training will begin in September 2023.
