It has been over three years since the Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed in Bangladesh, but no significant steps have been taken by the government to implement the Act, nor to raise awareness of it. Many journalists, both senior and junior, are not well aware of the RTI Act, in spite of its potential to play an important role in their professional duties (particularly filing follow-up, in-depth and investigative reports by using the RTI Act as a tool for information gathering.

In an attempt to address the issue, this project is aimed at raising local journalists' awareness of the RTI Act in Bangladesh by conducting a 4-day workshop in two important divisions/districts headquarters. This will contribute to enhancing the professional capabilities of journalists and equipping them with practical skills and knowledge regarding the use of RTI. A direct relationship exists between right to information, informed citizenry and good governance. The Right to Information provides citizens the opportunity of being informed of what the Government does for them, why and how it does it. Journalists can make a real a difference by empowering citizens, particularly impacting the lives of poor and disadvantaged communities by: making people more aware of their rights and entitlements; enabling people to have access to government programs, schemes and benefits; making people more aware of political issues and options and helping to stimulate debate; educating the public on social, economic and environmental issues; drawing attention to institutional failings such as corruption, fraud, waste, inefficiency, nepotism and abuse of power.

The training will also focus on techniques of information gathering. Journalists will become equipped with skills to be more effective in not only preserving freedom of expression but also extending it by establishing a discursive space for public deliberations over social issues. Their professional output will be of a higher quality, with the presentation of accurate information. The activities of this project will emphasize the formative influence of the media on public attitudes, thoughts and perceptions as well as their fundamental role to the process of citizen engagement in public dialogue.