COVID-19 and the Media in South Asia

How has the COVID-19 crisis affected freedom of the press and access to information? Are citizens well informed about the virus? Have the media delivered reliable information? And how can media outlets be supported to make it through the crisis? As part of the initiative "Transparency and media freedom – Crisis resilience in the global pandemic", DW Akademie presents a panel discussion with regional experts in the fields of journalism, health communication and media development. They will focus on South Asia, especially Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, in analyzing the current challenges the media face in the current pandemic.

How to participate

The panel will take place on 16 March 2022, 3 pm (Bangladesh) / 2.30 pm (India) / 2 pm (Pakistan). We invite media practitioners, media development experts, professionals involved in health communication and other interested parties to register for the Zoom event by clicking here. Please note: Registration is open until 14 March 11.59 pm (Bangladesh) / 11.29 pm (India)/ 10.59 pm (Pakistan). The event link will be sent to all registrants on 15 March 2022.

If you have any questions or would like to contact us, please feel free to contact project manager Dennis Reineck at: dennis.reineck@dw.com.

Meet the panelists 

Annie Zaman has worked in the field of freedom of expression, safety and security of journalists and humanitarian aid workers over the last 15 years. She managed teams and newsrooms in crisis situations in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar. She has worked in two continents, five countries and in three languages. Zaman is part of the global movement to protect and enhance the free, safe and open web. She is Community Representative in the Board of Global Voices. In 2021, after the coup in Myanmar, she co-founded The Exile Hub to support Burmese media and critical voices in exile. 

Syed Nazakat is an award-winning journalist, media entrepreneur, as well a founder and CEO of DataLEADS, a digital media company to promote open data and democratization of information at scale. He has conceptualized and implemented a series of media and information programs on fact-checking, information literacy, investigative journalism, open data and digital transformation. Nazakat has over 18 years of experience as journalist and has reported from more than 30 countries. He is a board member of GIJN (USA) and the New Humanitarian (Geneva). More recently he was a jury member for Google's COVID-19 Vaccine Counter-Misinformation Open Fund.   

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla is a multimedia journalist with more than 10 years of experience in mainstream media in Bangladesh. He has a background in investigative journalism and environmental, political and human rights reporting. Masum has formerly worked for the Daily Sun and the Dhaka Tribune. Currently, he works as a reporter for The Daily Star, where he covers contemporary affairs and conducts in-depth investigations, inter alia on Covid-19. Masum also works as a book author and editor. 

Moderation

Amber Rahim Shamsi is an award-winning multi-media journalist and free speech advocate, with wide-ranging experience in television, radio, online and the print media. She is also Director of the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (ICFJ) and fellow of the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP). She is currently head of content and communications at Tabadlab, a public policy think tank. She has hosted three news and current affairs shows on mainstream Pakistani news channels and writes opinion pieces for local and international media platforms. Previously she was a bilingual reporter for the BBC World Service. 

The Initiative

Media worldwide are under pressure. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified this situation for public interest media seeking to deliver reliable information while traditional revenue models are challenged. In response, Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and DW Akademie have launched the initiative "Transparency and media freedom – Crisis resilience in the global pandemic". The goal is to strengthen the resilience of local media so that people are able to make informed decisions.

Find out more about the initiative on our website.