bdnews24.com, UNICEF to launch children’s video news service ‘Prism’ Sunday

‘Prism’, the world’s first video news service operated by child journalists, is opening Sunday with the objective of airing the untold stories of Bangladesh’s children.

The initiative, taken jointly by the country’s largest news provider bdnews24.com and UNICEF, means to influence policymakers in highlighting issues affecting children’s lives as articulated by children themselves.

Meher Afroze Chumki, Minister of State for Women and Children Affairs, will formally launch the site - prism.bdnews24.com - at Bay's Galleria in Gulshan at 3pm, according to a media release.

In the first phase of the initiative, which was launched in December last year, 105 children from Narayanganj, Gazipur, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Tangail, Netrakona and Bandarban districts have been trained in the production of video news content.

The programme aims to facilitate Bangladesh’s children in exploring and enhancing their creative and observational faculties and at the same time groom them as efficient multimedia news professionals in the future, the release said.

The content they will be producing – including packaged stories, b-rolls and story scripts – will be provided to media clients, who will subscribe to the service via the website.

The clients will also be given access to the content through FTP feed.

All the contents have been rights-cleared for broadcast around the world.

‘Prism’ has been available since March on a trial basis at bangla.bdnews24.com/prism.

The editorial team for ‘Prism’ has been guided by a team of senior bdnews24.com journalists with long experience in working in top newsrooms around the country and abroad.

"This is the ‘start of making new history’ for the children of Bangladesh,” UNICEF Bangladesh Deputy Representative, OIC Dr Lianne Kuppens has said.

“UNICEF in partnership with bdnews24.com has created a ‘space’ for children where they will be able to raise their concerns, share their aspirations for the future and contribute to decisions that affect their lives by suggesting solutions while playing an active role in broadcast media," she noted.