TDA Desk
“We have a lot of young people working in newsrooms…What we lack is diversity.”
Arun Devnath, Head of English News at bdnews24.com, is the first Bangladeshi to work at Bloomberg News. He has been selflessly contributing to the platform for the past eight years. In all these years, he has worked selflessly to represent a better Bangladesh in front of the world. A keynote speaker of our first event, Colloquium 1.0, Arun reflected his opinion on youth involvement, his career as a journalist, and a lot more.
TDA: As a young individual, what sparked your interest in journalism?
Arun: I was fascinated by journalists as I saw them to be a source of power to society. Back then, I did not know what it would take to be a journalist. I also had no idea about writing a story and capturing audience attention. I used to read the newspapers with great fascination, and often wondered about the people who presented the news to us everyday. It’s this fascination that fuelled my interest in journalism.
TDA: How difficult is it for young people to be a part of the current journalism sector?
Arun: I’d say it’s not very hard. If fresh university graduates or even younger students are looking forward to a career in journalism, they need to develop a passion for reporting within themselves. This is one of the major things news agencies look for while hiring new people. And grace to social media, the younger generation has better access to information regarding a wide range of issues. Only if they are capable of addressing these issues efficiently, they can easily pave a good journey in journalism.
TDA: How do current newsrooms in Bangladesh look?
Arun: We have a lot of young people working in newsrooms and creating headlines. What we lack is diversity. We definitely need more female journalists, as they often envision simple things in a different way. For creating an inclusive newsroom, we need to cater to the employees’ specific demands. A day-care center would be a wonderful idea for female employees, while a ramp near the entrance stair-case would allow even a physically disabled person to be affiliated with an organisation.
TDA: Share your opinions on the current involvement of the youth with language forums.
Arun: There are language clubs in educational institutions but there is a lack of language learning outside the school curriculum. For embracing the art of language, one needs to know the technicalities to express one’s thoughts in the right bunch of words. I feel there is no end to learning languages and we need more clubs and associations of people. In this case, the youth in particular need to take initiatives to promote language among the society.