Information and Broadcasting secretary Mahbuba Farjana on Sunday stressed the crucial role of investigative journalism in promoting justice, transparency and the rule of law.
She made the remarks while addressing a workshop titled 鈥楽trengthening Investigative Journalism for Law Reporters鈥�, jointly organised by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and UNDP, with support from the Embassy of Sweden.
The event was held at the National Institute of Mass Communication in Dhaka.
鈥業nvestigative journalism stands for truth, strengthens transparency, and plays a pivotal role in building public trust in the judicial system,鈥� the secretary said.
Supreme Court registrar general Md Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan presented the keynote paper at the workshop, outlining the progress made under the Chief Justice鈥檚 judicial reform roadmap.
The reforms include a proposal to establish a separate secretariat under the Supreme Court, strengthening the Supreme Judicial Council, lunch of a Supreme Court helpline, formation of a Supreme Judicial Appointments Council for SC judges, and a 12-point directive aimed at rooting out corruption within the judiciary.
In his opening remarks, NIMC director general Muhammad Hiruzzaman said that the role of the media extends beyond information-sharing鈥攊t must also drive positive change in society and uphold the principles of justice.
The participatory session focused on practical tools for law reporters, including storytelling techniques, source protection, simplifying legal language in court reporting, and promoting judicial transparency and accountability.
Experts from academia and media shared their experiences during the session.
Among them were Dhaka University Associate Professor Md Saiful Alam Chowdhury, Associated Press Bureau Chief Julhas Alam, and BanglaLook Special Correspondent Muktadir Rashid.
The UNDP senior rule of law, justice and security adviser Romana Schweiger and UNDP assistant resident representative Anowarul Huq also spoke at the event.
The workshop was attended by members of the Law Reporters Forum, Supreme Court officials and UNDP representatives.