Toufique Imrose Khalidi

Toufique Imrose Khalidi is a Bangladeshi journalist, news commentator and media manager. Since 2006 he has been Editor-in-Chief, Managing Director and a Board Member in the holding company (Bangladesh News 24 Hours Ltd) of Bangladesh's pioneering and dominant 24/7 news provider bdnews24.com - which is also the countryâ's pre-eminent English-Bangla bilingual website and perhaps the world’s first internet-only national news publisher.

Educated and trained in Dhaka, Tokyo, Paris and London, Khalidi has international experience of print, broadcast and digital journalism. He has commented on politics, public policy and economic management as a leader writer. He also worked in the newsroom with the major print broadsheets as a senior editor and manager. In his broadcasting career he worked at the BBC as a producer, editor and presenter. As a reporter, he has covered a wide range of issues, ranging from business to social development, diplomacy to foreign economic relations, politics to the economy.

Since a friendly takeover of BDNEWS (and of its holding company Bangladesh News 24 Hours Ltd) and its reincarnation as bdnews24.com in June 2006, Khalidi has been at the helm of a radical transformation of the business. He introduced Bangladesh to a whole host of digital firsts, among them the first mobile news website and the first SMS-based news alerts. Khalidi's decision to open up the site's content to readers for free contributed to its emergence as one of South Asia's premier â' go t' websites for news in the region.

Khalidi opposes the media's direct involvement in politics and is outspoken about bdnews24.com's editorial ethics:

"We have never supported a third force outside the political process... it is the responsibility of the politicians to protect the process. And the media must be in a position to support that. Because we have a stake. A free and functioning media cannot sustain without a proper political process....Politicking is not media's business. We do not support any media entity getting engaged in changing regimes...We do cover politics, analyse or comment on political developments but getting involved directly should not be in our scheme of things." Speech at the Seventh Anniversary Dinner, 23 October 2013 http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/10/23/politicking-is-not-medias-business-khalidi

"Our commitment to journalism, ethics and professional standards has produced many firsts, in Bangladesh and even in the world". https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/media_8152.htm

Khalidi's commitment to maintaining political independence and an objective stance in relation to reporting the news have been praised across the spectrum of the country's main political parties:

"I hope that they will continue their objective and unbiased news...We need media outlets like bdnews24.com to spread the ideals of democracy and free society by providing a platform for diverse opinions and multiple voices. That strengthens our democracy...I firmly believe this will carry forward the democratic process." Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a message on 7th Anniversary.
"I hope this internet newspaper will carry forward its tradition of objective news coverage built up during the last seven years . Leader of the Opposition and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a message on 7th Anniversary

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/10/24/hasina-khaleda-greet-bdnews24.com

Khalidi's views on the challenges faced by democratic political processes in Bangladesh are frequently sought or cited by major international bodies - including TIME, AlJazeera, Voice of America, the International Committee of the Red Cross and India's The Hindu:

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2056606,00.html#ixzz2xF09wGGL

http://world.time.com/2013/02/19/live-from-shahbagh-square-young-bangladesh-demands-better/

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/201356134629980318.html

http://m.voabangla.com/a/a-16-2010-01-20-voa5-94464254/1399895.html
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/event/2013/10-03-south-asia-media-conference.htm

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/the-rising-bangali/article4549434.ece

Recent interviews and comments on media, current affairs, public policy issues:

Remarks after meeting of Technical Advisory Committee to the Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund, supported by The World Bank Group and the UKAID

21 March 2018

https://www.facebook.com/bdnews24/videos/10160337482760601/

‘Role of Media in Promoting the Bay of Bengal Identity’ – Remarks at BIMSTEC 20^th anniversary event as a panelist

20 March 2018

https://www.facebook.com/bdnews24/videos/10160332442960601/

Remarks at the publication ceremony of “Chariot of Life – Liberation War, Politics and Sojourn in Jail” – a book by decorated freedom fighter, former civil servant and prime ministerial adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury

16 March 2018

https://www.facebook.com/bdnews24/videos/10160312988095601/

Toufique Imrose Khalidi’s take on Bangladesh's Digital Security Act 2018 (Proposed) বাংলাদেশের ডিজিটাল নিরাপত্তা আইন ২০১৮ (প্রস্তাবিত) এবং গুপ্তচরবৃত্তি, সাংবাদিকতা
31 January 2018

https://www.facebook.com/t.i.khalidi/videos/1703925533002206/

On being awarded “Special Honour/Recognition”, along with two others, for contribution to the development of Digital Bangladesh

12 December 2017

https://bdnews24.com/technology/2017/12/12/bdnews24.com-editor-in-chief-toufique-imrose-khalidi-gets-ict-award

https://bangla.bdnews24.com/tech/article1433587.bdnews

http://www.theindependentbd.com/arcprint/details/127800/2017-12-13

https://www.facebook.com/bdnews24/videos/10159875479010601/

Remarks on the state of Bangladesh media at Queen Mary University, London, UK

(At the event marking 100 years of Bangla Media in the UK and media interviews)

7 November 2017

https://www.facebook.com/BengaliCommunityInUK/videos/915279768636696/

https://bdnews24.com/media-en/2017/11/09/section-57-of-the-ict-act-must-be-repealed-says-toufique-imrose-khalidi

Government advertisement and corruption

9 August 2017

https://www.facebook.com/bdnews24/videos/10159303669725601/

https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1376586.bdnews

The state of media freedom in Bangadesh

Facebook Live – Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum, Bonn, Germany

June 2017

https://www.facebook.com/dw.bengali/videos/10154595583615978/

Remarks at the 10^th anniversary dinner 23 October 2016

http://bdnews24.com/media-en/2016/10/23/media-barons-choke-the-freedom-of-press-in-bangladesh-saysbdnews24.comeditor-in-chief-khalidi

http://bdnews24.com/10thanniversary/2016/10/24/khalidi-sounds-tough-on-bangladesh-media-organisations-stealing-bdnews24.com-contents

http://bdnews24.com/10thanniversary/2016/10/23/governments-outdated-media-advertisement-policy-wasting-public-money-journalist-khalidi

Text of speech at the 10^th anniversary dinner 23 October 2016

http://bdnews24.com/media-en/2016/10/23/text-of-the-10th-anniversary-speech-by-editor-in-chief

Remarks as Chair of a session on “Threats and Opportunities in the Age of New media and Innovation” at a ICRC-sponsored Asia Media Conference on “Reporting humanitarian emergencies and crisis”

http://bdnews24.com/media-en/2016/10/21/reporting-on-impending-crisis-even-more-challenging-says-bdnews24.com-chief-editor

Remarks at China-Bangladesh Media Doalogue

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/10/11/china-seeks-bangladesh-medias-cooperation-to-bolster-political-economic-ties

Remarks at a meeting with business leaders in Chittagong

http://bdnews24.com/economy/2016/09/04/businesses-in-chittagong-prod-policymakers-in-dhaka-to-turn-focus-to-their-war

Remarks on “Rise of Terrorism in Bangladesh” on Voice of America along with Lisa Curtis of Heritage Foundation

(In the wake of the Holey Artisan attack)

https://www.facebook.com/voabangla/videos/1302462566438056/

Remarks at Scholastica graduation ceremony

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/06/21/study-abroad-but-return-to-lead-toufique-khalidi-tells-scholastica-ceremony

Instant remarks on the 2016-17 National Budget

June 2016