Reporters in Jessore, particularly those having special knack for business issues, find their dreams fulfilled in terms of developing writing skills to project trade and commerce issues better by getting organised under the banner of Business Reporters’ Network (BRN), Jessore, in September 2008.
They are now well off in understanding business issues, going in depth and reporting the topics with meticulous details giving proper emphasis on the real highlights. Their enhanced skilled not only benefited in profile-raising of the media outlets that they represent but also earned them honour from the business community, in particular, and the readers, in general.
Thanks to a Katalyst initiative being implemented through development organisation – Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) that worked, in literal sense, as an eye-opener for Jessore journalists.
They’re now developing eyes for seeing business news and that again, from a district, which boasts country’s biggest land port and cherish the heritage of some homegrown small and medium industries.
With supports from Katalyst-MRDI, as many as 32 Jessore reporters, those working both for local and national dailies and electronic media, formed the BRN last year.
BRN, Jessore stands now as their forum for excelling in business journalism with providing scopes for having regular interactive sessions with business communities as well as arranging training and field trips to have more exposures on business and business journalism.
Due to initiatives of Jessore BRN and reporting by individual reporters in various media outlet, many of the hitherto neglected business sectors in Jessore are now under media spotlight. This positive change comes as a boon for the Jessore businesses, who otherwise enjoy a very little access to the policymakers.
Shahidul Islam Milon, President of Jessore Chamber of Commerce and Industries, now reckons BRN as a vehicle that carried them all to a new port of hope, where they all understand the value to publicity both in terms of news and advertisements.
Shahin Hossain, an-secretary of Jessore Automobile Workshop Owners Association, acknowledges with gratitude that it was because of BRN his industry got so much media coverage in recent months.
Traders involved in floriculture, fishery sector also echoed them. Editor of the premier Jessore daily Mobinul Islam says that BRN gave the energy and enthusiasm to two of the Jessore dailies including his one to bring out dedicated supplements on business issues.
