'Toufique never let news stray from objectivity,' say friends, colleagues

Friends, family members, and former colleagues have mourned the death of bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi, remembering him as a journalist who never compromised on professional standards and fought relentlessly to advance digital journalism in Bangladesh.

Khalidi, a pioneer in bringing Bangladesh's news to the digital world, died in London on Friday at the age of 59. He was taken to St Bartholomew's Hospital in London on Thursday night after suffering a brain haemorrhage and was declared dead at 2:23 pm local time on Friday.

His family said Khalidi had been in London on a personal visit when he suddenly fell ill.

Liberation War researcher, journalist, and educator Afsan Chowdhury described the news as devastating.

"This is absolutely terrible news for me. I still cannot believe it; I really can't," he said. "I knew he had some health issues, an eye problem -- but I was not aware of any serious illness."

"Toufique and I go back a very long time. We worked together in many places. When I was at the BBC, he was there too."

"The way Toufique built bdnews24.com -- no one else could have done it. He brought so many people together. When I came back from Canada in 2012 and joined as executive editor, we made big plans and went around the country trying to convince people about digital media. It was not easy then, but it gradually became very successful."

"Even today, after all these years, if a piece of news does not appear on bdnews24.com, I cannot fully trust it elsewhere. That is a huge achievement. The most important thing Toufique managed to do was to keep the news objective. Others become participants -- they get entangled in the right and wrong of the news. But bdnews24.com's journalism was always objective."

"Toufique never let news stray from objectivity. That is the most important thing."

Former caretaker government advisor Rasheda K Choudhury expressed grief over the loss.

"I have been feeling terrible since I heard the news. What I will miss most is his newspaper's anniversary and his Pahela Baishakh gatherings -- where people from all walks of life came together. That will not be the same anymore."

She noted that Khalidi had served as secretary of the Dhaka University English Department Alumni Association and had persuaded her to take on the role of president.

Kamal Ahmed, a former BBC colleague of Khalidi and former chairman of the interim government's mass media reform commission, wrote on Facebook that he received the news of Khalidi's passing shortly after he was rushed to hospital in London.

"For a long time, his body had been beset by various illnesses. I last saw him at his home, probably on Pahela Baishakh. We share many memories from our time together at The Financial Express and the BBC," he wrote. "For Toufique, family meant his journalists and colleagues at his organisation. My deepest condolences to all of them. I pray for the peace of Toufique's soul."

Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Mahbuba Farzana was a classmate of Khalidi at the University of Dhaka.

"I am deeply saddened. We were classmates -- I studied with him for seven years, in the very same class at Dhaka University's English department. He was exceptionally talented, and that talent was evident from his student days," she said.

"We were close batchmates. We would discuss and prepare for exams together. I used to tell him to sit down with his books."

She said she had asked Khalidi after he returned from London -- before he founded bdnews24.com -- what he planned to do next. "I said, you have so much talent; you have come back from the BBC, what will you do now? He said he didn't know. But when he set up bdnews24.com, I was very happy for him. He had found his place."

"After I became secretary, our contact increased further. I would go to every anniversary event; he always treated me with tremendous respect, as a friend. I have lost a very good friend and a genuinely talented journalistic figure. May Allah grant him paradise. We will truly miss him."

Public health expert and Bangladesh JaSaD standing committee member Mushtaq Hossain also offered condolences, recounting a long association with Khalidi that began during student politics at Dhaka University, continued through BBC interviews, and extended to regular contact at bdnews24.com.

"Toufique took online journalism to a credible and committed place. He took bdnews24.com -- which had nearly shut down -- and built it up piece by piece into a reliable, internationally reputable news outlet," he said.

"The core policy of bdnews24.com was not to rush out stories for speed or sensation, but to publish only fully verified news -- even if it took a little longer -- so that no report would ever have to be retracted. Even when there was an opportunity to obtain a television licence, Toufique walked away from it because he sensed corruption in the process."

He expressed hope that Khalidi's colleagues at bdnews24.com would overcome their grief, carry forward that tradition of objective journalism, and bring Toufique Imrose Khalidi's contributions to the attention of the present generation.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader expressed deep shock and sorrow over Khalidi’s death.

In his condolence message, he called Khalidi a pioneer in the development of online and digital journalism in the country.

With his death, the country lost an experienced, dignified and distinguished media personality, he said.

Khalidi’s contributions to journalism and the media will long be remembered, Quader said.

He added, “I am deeply saddened and shocked by the death of Toufique Imrose Khalidi. He has made important contributions to the development of journalism and the media in Bangladesh. He did journalism with courage, dedication and professionalism. His death is an irreparable loss for the country's media.”

Quader prayed for the forgiveness of his departed soul and expressed deep condolences to his bereaved family members, colleagues, relatives and well-wishers.