Bashundhara Group Honours 17 Journalists from East West Media Group

Bashundhara Group has honoured 17 journalists from six media outlets under East West Media Group Limited in recognition of their outstanding reporting and contributions to public interest journalism. The journalists received certificates and cash awards for quality reports published in June 2026.

The awards were presented at a ceremony held on Saturday afternoon in the conference room of East West Media Group. Representing Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and ABG (Anvir Bashundhara Group) Chairman Sayem Sobhan Anvir, the awards were handed over by Bashundhara Group Media Adviser Abdul Bari and Deputy Managing Director (Finance) Imrul Hasan.

Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan has announced that 12 journalists will be recognised each month as the best journalists for their contributions to the country and its people through their reporting. The June 2026 awards marked the first step in implementing the initiative.

The event was attended by Kaler Kantho Editor Mehedi Hasan Talukder, Executive Editor Haider Ali; Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Ekramul Haque Bhuiyan, known as Loton Ekram, and Executive Editor Afaz Uddin Biplob; Banglanews24.com Editor A K M Manjurul Haque; Daily Sun Editor Md Rezaul Karim Lotus; News24 TV Head of News Shariful Islam Khan; and other senior officials of the media group.

Award-winning reports
From Kaler Kantho, Shimul Mahmud was recognised as the best journalist for June for his report titled “চরম দুরবস্থায় সরকারি মেডিক্যাল কলেজ : শিখন ঘাটতিতে ডাক্তারি ডিগ্রি” (Government Medical Colleges in Dire Straits: Learning Gaps Undermine Medical Degrees).

Sajib Ahmed received recognition for “এক রিচার্জে ১৮০-২০০ ডিজিট, বিপাকে গ্রাহক” (180–200 Digits on a Single Recharge Leave Customers in Trouble). Anik Akhand, a multimedia reporter in Chattogram, was honoured for “কর্তার দাপটে পূর্বাঞ্চল রেলওয়ের অফিস হয়ে গেল রেস্ট হাউজ, কেনাকাটায় অনিয়ম” (Under an Official’s Influence, Eastern Railway Office Turns into a Rest House Amid Procurement Irregularities).

Five journalists from Banglanews24.com received awards: Ilias Sarkar for “মৃত্যুদণ্ড নিয়ে কনডেম সেলে এক দশক : শিউলির পর এবার মুক্তি পাচ্ছেন মাশকুরা”; Ikram-ud-Daula for “১৫ বছর পর পর এনআইডি নবায়ন করতে হবে”; Abir Rahman for “কেপ ভার্দে-কুরাসাও পারলে বাংলাদেশ কেন পেছনে”; GM Mujibur for “ইট-পাথরের নগরে হারিয়ে যাচ্ছে পাখির আবাস, সংকটে বাস্তুতন্ত্র”; and Chattogram Bureau reporter Mizanur Rahman for “পাহাড় হারাচ্ছে চট্টগ্রাম, বাড়ছে ঝুঁকি”.

From Bangladesh Pratidin, the award recipients were Shamim Ahmed for “কোটি টাকার কাগুজে গাছ দিচ্ছে না ছায়া!”, Mahbub Momtazee for “অপরাধের কারখানা সোশ্যাল মিডিয়া” and Imran Rahman for “ভয়ংকর জম্বি এখন বাংলাদেশে”.

Daily Sun journalists Ehsanul Haque Jasim and Asadul Islam were recognised for their report, “Environmental justice turns into a wild goose chase”. Rafiqul Islam received an award for “SDG deadlines loom, PWD workforce still untapped”, while Mousumi Islam was honoured for “Can high rates revive investment?”

Sazzad Hossain of News24 and Momin Rohan of T Sports were also recognised. Sazzad Hossain’s report was titled “ঘুষের ফাঁদে প্রবাসীর স্ত্রী, তাৎক্ষণিক অ্যাকশনে প্রতিমন্ত্রী”, while Momin Rohan’s report was “বাবা হাসপাতালের প্রহরী, ছেলে জাকির বাংলার উসাইন বোল্ট, নতুন কুঁড়ির সেরা বালক স্প্রিন্টার”.

Commitment to public-interest journalism
Highlighting the group’s slogan, “Bashundhara Group for the Welfare of the Country and Its People,” Media Adviser Abdul Bari said the recognition programme would continue every month. He stressed the importance of strengthening objective journalism that serves the interests of the country and its people.

Bari also said Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan consistently prioritises public welfare and employment generation. Referring to the chairman’s announcement, he said the monthly awards would be based on the quality of journalistic reports.

Imrul Hasan, Deputy Managing Director (Finance) of Bashundhara Group, said the media management team and a designated committee would play an impartial role in selecting an equal number of quality reports from each media outlet. The process, he said, would create an opportunity to assess reporting across different beats fairly.

The editors present at the event thanked the chairman and managing director of Bashundhara Group for the initiative. They expressed hope that the awards would continue to inspire journalists to pursue investigative reporting and produce high-quality journalism in the public interest.