Facebook Fundamentals for News for Bangladeshi journos launched

Facebook Fundamentals for News, a mobile-based training program for Bangladeshi journalists, has been launched.

Center for Communication Action Bangladesh (C-CAB), in partnership with Facebook Journalism Project and Colombo-based Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) launched the program on Thursday.

The program that intends to train journalists would be delivered completely digitally via an online platform developed by BigSpring.

The six-month project, which aims to train 1000 Bangladeshi journalists, was launched via a zoom meeting.

The virtual event was attended by Randall Olson, director, Office of Democracy Rights and Governance, USAID Bangladesh, Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, former president, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Zafar Sobhan, editor, Dhaka Tribune, and Jude W Genilo, professor, Media Studies and Journalism, University of Liberal Arts. Senior Facebook, BigSpring and CIR executives spoke about the project, while Syed Zain Al-Mahmood, executive director of C-CAB delivered the welcome address.

The mobile curriculum, available in both English and Bangla, includes skills on online safety, best practices on Facebook, and how to best leverage video on the platform. The program can be accessed via mobile and web.

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"We are committed to supporting quality journalism and providing tools and training to journalists globally," said Anjali Kapoor, Director of News Partnerships, Facebook Asia Pacific.

“This partnership was developed after speaking with the news community and our partners in APAC who had identified the need to support the region’s journalists with foundational skills so they can use Facebook more effectively. We hope that this program can help journalists to adapt digitally, and create more informed and engaged communities across the news ecosystem.”

Syed Zain Al-Mahmood, executive director at Center for Communication Action Bangladesh explained: “We welcome the support of Facebook to bring a curriculum that can help improve the social media skills of our journalists and strengthen the foundation of reporting across the country.

"The fact that we can make this available via a mobile platform, through BigSpring’s technology, ensures that the program can reach more journalists across the country more rapidly. The impact of this program starts today.”

Dilrukshi Handunetti, executive director of Sri Lanka-based Center for Investigative Reporting said: “This collaboration provides the opportunity for us to nurture the next generation of journalists, and equip them with best practices.”

Bhakti Vithalani, the founder and CEO of BigSpring added: “BigSpring’s platform enables users to access bite-sized content and engage in learning communities to gain skills proficiency.”

Journalists can register for this program using iOS and Android phones. The curriculum follows Facebook Journalism Project’s commitment to Bangladeshi journalists, which also includes other training programs, such as the recent launch of Reuters Digital Journalism Course to enhance reporting skills.