Media should focus on intersection of faith, sustainable development

Experts at a workshop have said the media should focus on the intersection of faith development as the faith group and communities living in a country play an important role in achieving sustainable development goals such as zero hunger, quality education, and a peaceful society. 

Center for Communication Action Bangladesh (C-CAB), in collaboration with the World Faiths Development Dialogue at Georgetown University, USA, organized the workshop at the YWCA Training Center in Dhaka on Sunday.

The workshop discussed the role of religious actors, and religious considerations in the SDG agenda and built capacity on how the news media can better cover faith dynamics in achieving a peaceful and inclusive society.

A number of topics were covered at the workshop including best practices of conflict-sensitive journalism and conflict resolution; addressing bias, hate speech, and misinformation in a post-truth world, and achieving SDG 16 toward building a peaceful, inclusive and prosperous society.

While elaborating on the workshop's subject, the moderator of the workshop and Executive Director of C-CAB, Syed Zain Al-Mahmood said, “The media can shift the binary secular vs religious narrative and provide balanced coverage of the role of faith groups as a socioeconomic force.”

Tania Sultana, assistant professor, Department of Journalism & Media Studies, said, “Breaking the loop of conflict by covering peace in news is important.” She also added, “Journalists can promote peace by avoiding sensational depiction of violence.”

Benedict Alo De Rozario, president of Caritas Asia, said, “Faith leaders from different communities can be the most effective catalyst to make positive change in the mindset of people.”

Journalists from print, TV, and online media outlets attended the workshop.