MRDI chief says Khalidi had the qualities that define a true journalist

The Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) has expressed its condolences on the death of Toufique Imrose Khalidi, editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com.

A condolence message posted on the organisation's verified Facebook page said, “We mourn the passing of Toufique Imrose Khalidi, Editor-in-Chief of bdnews24.com.

“A pioneering journalist and editor, Mr. Khalidi made significant contributions to the evolution of digital journalism in Bangladesh. His leadership and professional contributions to the news media industry will be remembered by generations of journalists and media professionals.”

MRDI expressed its condolences to the bereaved family, colleagues and the bdnews24.com team.

MRDI Executive Director Hasibur Rahman Mukur also spoke to bdnews24.com about his personal recollections of Khalidi.

Reminiscing about their time studying together at Dhaka University, he said: “Toufique Imrose Khalidi was a year younger than me at Dhaka University. We were very close during our student life. He was my beloved younger brother. I lived in Mohsin Hall, and he lived in SM Hall (Salimullah Hall). Although the halls were different, there was no distance in our communication, we communicated almost every day.”

Evaluating him as a journalist, Mukur said: “After he came to journalism, I saw in him the qualities that a journalist must have. The standards and vision of bdnews24.com, in terms of online journalism and digital platforms in Bangladesh, have been there for a long time. It has been established as a commendable initiative under his leadership.”

He described the time when Khalidi started bdnews24.com as “unimaginable”.

He said, “At that time, people did not have mobile phones like they do now. Almost everyone had the bdnews website saved on their desktop computers. This was a new and important change in the field of online journalism.”

Describing his death as a “huge loss” for journalism, the executive director of MRDI said, “Losing Toufique at a young age is a great loss for our journalism. I feel this loss even more deeply because of my personal relationship with him. I am very shocked.”