Be prepared to face challenges before becoming a journalist, bdnews24.com chief editor tells ULAB students

One must be ready to face the everyday challenges that a journalist confronts before pursuing the profession, says bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi.

“Journalism is not a business for the fainthearted,” he said at the ‘Meet the Editor’ programme organised by the Media Studies and Journalism Department of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) on Thursday.

“My point is, don’t get into a job that you don’t enjoy. Don’t be a journalist if you don’t have passion for it. It is not just like any other job.”

“If something big happens, you have to be there in the middle of the night or after a long, stressful day,” explained Khalidi.

“If you’re hoping to attend family dinner every time, journalism is not your profession. If you are not prepared to miss your favourite niece’s birthday party, journalism is not the right choice for you.”

The head of Bangladesh’s first bilingual internet-based newspaper also took questions from students in the audience.

Fourth-year student Mayukh Islam asked, “Many people tell online journalists to work in newspapers, while others claim that the print media is now dying. How is that possible?”

Citing BTRC data, Khalidi said, “Fifty million people are using the internet in the country. If 10 percent of them accesses news sites, that’s 5 million.

bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi at the ‘Meet the Editor’ event organised by ULAB’s Media Studies and Journalism Department on its campus.

bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi speaks at the ‘Meet the Editor’ event organised by ULAB’s Media Studies and Journalism Department on its campus.

“The combined circulation figure of all newspapers in Bangladesh is not even 1 million.”

Responding to another student’s question, he said, “No-one in the world is neutral, nor am I. I am objective, but not neutral. Being neutral and being objective are two different things.”

“When right-wing radicals try to destabilise society, I don’t support them. I cover them objectively. But I will not support them.”

Students also asked whether Khalidi had wanted to sell off bdnews24.com due to a financial crisis during the military-backed caretaker government’s rule.

He explained how the rumour had spread. “One of my friends, who owns another news outlet, came to have lunch with me. And I treated him to the best possible lunch around.

“He went back to his office and told his colleagues ‘Oh, bdnews24.com is up for sale and I have had negotiations with Toufique’.”

“I had even got a phone call from that (friend’s) office. That’s the way the word got around.”

The bdnews24.com editor-in-chief also shared with the ULAB students his experience of working during the last caretaker regime.

“We suffered but we enjoyed doing the work. We flourished during the time and suddenly we became the largest news provider.

“We had one of the largest newsgathering operations at the time. We suffered and we recovered from that.”

He also spoke about bdnews24.com plans to expand its operations. “We would like to take it to a different level.”

bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi took question from the students

A ULAB student asks bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi a question

The ULAB students were curious to know about The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam’s recent admission of running DGFI-fed baseless reports during the military-backed caretaker regime.

They asked if Anam’s actions would destroy the entire media’s credibility in Bangladesh.

The bdnews24.com journalist said a media unit’s credibility depends on its editor’s leadership, and the system and process he or she follows.

“People are not losing faith in the entire media. Also, The Daily Star didn’t always do wrong things,” he said.    

He advised the students to read more of the country’s political, cultural and media history.

“The media has a bit of a complex history because it has many players. But it’s true Daily Star was not the only newspaper to publish those reports at the time,” he said.

Media’s role

Khalidi said it is imperative to understand the media’s job.

“In Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world, there is a confusion, to an extent misconception, about the role of the media.

“Even in India, where I recently attended the so-called South Asia Economic Conclave, I was given a few talking points that I found quite impractical.

“How can the media take a constructive tone and become mutually more appreciative? How can the media of India and Bangladesh collaborate to give positive direction to regional and bilateral issues?”

“My response to these points was very simple: This is not media’s job. This is the job of the politicians,” Khalidi recalled.

“I don’t try to be constructive or destructive. I try to be objective,” he asserted.

ULAB Vice-Chancellor Prof Imran Rahman makes a point while speaking at the ‘Meet the Editor’ event

ULAB’s Media Studies and Journalism Department head Prof Dr Jude William Genilo speaks at the ‘Meet the Editor’ event.

“We’ll criticise, we’ll point out mistakes, we’ll talk about policy failures, and the direction – positive or negative – will come from there.

“There is no alternative to professionalism. News is a product. And there is no alternative to quality! We must accept the fact that bad news is big news – the worse the bigger!!

“Then again, journalism is not just any other commercial activity… Being newsman or newsperson is also a commitment,” he said.

“What Daily Star did wrong was, I think, it tried to get involved in Bangladesh’s political process," he said in response to a question.

“After the 11th (Jan 11, 2007), two editors went to breakfast meetings with the then army chief every day. We all knew it.

“One of my colleagues said Mahfuz Anam phoned the others to join a meeting with the army chief. It’s not a journalist’s job,” Khalidi said.

“The matter is being made into a political issue, but there is not much discussion on the basics of journalism,” he observed.

“Where actually were the mistakes? Was there any problem in the editorial process?” he asked.

“I admit that we also make mistakes. Our English site doesn’t make me happy all the time. There are also mistakes. But no-one can distort information. Information cannot be published without being checked. There is a process for this.”

Accuracy is the key

Khalidi said accuracy was more important in journalism than speed.

“It’s easy to be famous in some cases … but in your mad rush for fame ... to be the first to break the story ... please don’t make mistakes … in your mad rush for deadlines … please don’t do things you will eventually regret,” he said.

“Accuracy is the key. If you are not accurate, you lose your credibility. There cannot be any excuses … I had a deadline to meet … the format was different … nothing spares you from disgrace, ignominy,” he said.

“I don’t want to be first all the time...I don’t mind being second but accurate all the time,” he added.

A ULAB student interviews Toufique Imrose Khalidi for a campus-based channel after the event.

Prof Imran Rahman handing over a souvenir to Toufique Imrose Khalidi.

Simplest language

ULAB Center for Language Studies Director Sajedul Huq asked what kind of language skills were essential for landing a job at bdnews24.com.

“The purpose of journalism or journalistic reporting or writing is to communicate with the public with the easiest possible language,” Khalidi replied.

“Writing headlines, you learn it over time, writing teasers is a different skill, writing news copies is a different skill, and, then, people have to have passion for it.

“You have to enjoy doing this job. I once recruited a first-class-first journalism professor. He said he wanted to try.

“After 18 days, he didn’t even meet me face-to-face. He sent an email ‘I can’t take the pressure, sorry’.

“But much younger people, even his students, were comfortable in the job. Every job has its own characteristics and problems.

“Yes, anyone who can tell stories in the simplest language can…,” he said in reply to Huq’s question.

Self-censorship

The bdnews24.com editor-in-chief said, “Having freedom is one thing; being able to exercise that freedom is another”.

“From our experience in Bangladesh, I’d say we are relatively free. Many of my colleagues will try to tell you media is not free in Bangladesh,” he said.

“I’ll tell you what I tell them: The problem lies with ownership.

“The trouble begins with the owners’ pedigree as businessmen with very little or no sense of public service obligation,” he said.

The problem also lies with the way the state manages the media, with the “way politicians seek to control the media through their loyal owners”, he said.

“If the politicians want all major media outlets to be owned, managed by big businesses with shady records, then there’s not much the media can do.

“There are those owners that have political ambitions, are seeking party tickets for parliamentary seats. They have problems with their tax files …

“In such a scenario, the freedom is not curtailed by the powers that be on a daily basis… the control freak owners or their representatives, whatever their title may be, press that freedom-curbing button as they wish.

“So the state isn’t doing anything directly here… it’s coming from within. Self-censorship is a serious issue here,” he said.

Khalidi said censorship or attack on the media’s freedom was not always coming from the government or the state institutions.

“Corporate world is a major criminal here.

“A lot is done by big businesses or big spenders in advertising… corporate muscle tries to compete with our media muscle.  We often lose in this battle, and we have to blame ourselves for that.”

Fairness and balance

The bdnews24.com editor-in-chief’s advice to the ULAB students is to be careful when the issue is of fairness and balance.

“A suspect’s right to fair trial versus the public’s right to know – be careful about identifying the suspects. Have they been formally charged?”

He said context is crucial. “Identify sources clearly. Be careful about the source’s motive and reliability.”

ATM Sajedul Huq, Director of ULAB’s Center for Language Studies, speaks at the ‘Meet the Editor’ event

ULAB’s Media Studies and Journalism Department Associate Professor Md Asiuzzaman conducts the ‘Meet the Editor’ event.

While citing an anonymous source, he asked the students to let their readers know the reasons, if the source faces danger or retaliation.

Being sensitive to the subjects of the story, victims, children, juveniles, women is also important, he said.

“Often the legal access to information does not give the ethical justification to publish or broadcast such information.”

Khalidi also said privacy is important.

“Public figures are supposed to face scrutiny more than private individuals… so try to give some respite to private citizens… public figures have a different agenda… they want power, fame, influence, attention… so they are prepared to pay a price for that,” he said.

Khalidi also pointed out dangers of the time “when everyone is a journalist”.

“At times it becomes very difficult to distinguish between professional work and a layperson’s output. There are times when it creates confusion,” he said.

“Not everyone is capable of seeing the fine line between the two sets of work. It can cause chaos in a society. It can destabilise governments. Rumour-mongers can exploit the situation. So be careful…”

He also advised the students to take advantage of multi-tasking.

“You do the same story for print, audio and video formats. It is a huge challenge for those who have been through the transformation, but it is a fantastic opportunity for these future journalists.

“Take advantage of it. There is competition, of course, but the nature of competition is different. The challenge is to try to be more credible than your competitors,” he said.

 “...Make all those people in charge accountable. Give voice to those who do not have a voice,” he added.

“Passion and commitment, ethical behaviour and hard work are the key words,” the bdnews24.com boss said as he concluded his speech.

A ULAB student asks bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi a question during the event

bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi speaks at the ‘Meet the Editor’ event organised by ULAB’s Media Studies and Journalism Department.

ULAB’s journalism department Associate Professor Md Asiuzzaman said it was “probably one of the comprehensive speeches and discussions in this room in many years”.

“It took me back to 1991. We probably started our career in the same newsroom. He used to cover Foreign Office. I used to cover Parliament and politics,” Asiuzzaman said.

“The infrastructure and resources we are talking about, there was no mobile phone.

“I still have the typewriter I started my career with. If you see it now, you will probably think that it is something to exercise your fingers.

The departmental head, Prof Jude Genilo, concurred with Khalidi to tell his students that they “need to make a lot of sacrifice if you want to be journalists by profession”.

“And your sacrifices don’t start when you become a journalist. This sacrifices will start now as a student,” he said.