Dhaka Tribune Breaks Barriers: How a UNESCO Initiative Sparked Institutional Inclusion in Bangladesh’s Newsrooms

A UNESCO initiative leads Dhaka Tribune to integrate persons with disabilities into its newsroom, shifting reporting practices and demonstrating how inclusive hiring can reshape Bangladesh’s media landscape.

In Bangladesh, persons with disabilities remain largely absent from the country’s media landscape; not only in news coverage but also inside newsrooms. Despite representing a significant share of the population, they are often portrayed through a charity-driven lens, while their voices, perspectives and professional contributions seldom shape editorial decisions.

In 2024, UNESCO translated the Practical Manual on Disability Equality in the Media into Bangla and conducted awareness sessions with journalists, editors and media professionals across Dhaka. The sessions encouraged newsrooms to adopt a rights-based approach, to challenge internal biases, and to recognize how inclusive hiring practices could reshape both reporting and public understanding. What began as a conversation soon turned into a structural shift inside one of the country’s leading English newspapers.

A turning point for institutional inclusion

Following the awareness sessions, the Dhaka Tribune became the first media outlet in Bangladesh to recruit persons with disabilities as newsroom staff marking a significant institutional step for the sector. Editor Reaz Ahmad recalls how the decision went beyond symbolic hiring.

“The assumptions we carry about persons with disabilities that they may not be able to perform like others, those are mental barriers, not real ones. These two young professionals have proven that disability does not limit skills,” he explains. “And initiatives like this are only possible because partners such as Sightsavers Bangladesh provided crucial support to this Dhaka Tribune initiative.”

Among nearly 200 staff members, the two new recruits quickly became part of the newsroom workflow; editing stories, covering field events, reporting on disability rights, and pitching story ideas that expanded the paper’s editorial horizon. Their presence challenged stereotypes, reshaped colleagues’ perceptions, and increased the volume and depth of disability-related reporting.

This transformation, Ahmad notes, was not the result of a single training but of an institutional mindset shift catalyzed by UNESCO’s approach.

“The inclusion principles influenced us the most. When inclusivity becomes a priority, accessibility naturally follows,” he said. “We know we have limitations, but we are thinking about how to make things easier so they can give their best.”

Inclusive hiring in practice, not theory

For Kabery Sultana, a trainee sub-editor with mobility impairment, entering the media was once an unimaginable goal. Campus life had been full of structural barriers, from non-accessible buses to classrooms unprepared for students with disabilities. Despite participating in extra-curricular activities, student politics, and voluntary work, she often felt institutions were not designed with people like her in mind.

Her experience at the Dhaka Tribune was different.

“I’ve faced sensitization issues in other workplaces,” she said. “But not here. No one made me feel uncomfortable. I work mostly online, but the environment is respectful and supportive.”

Kabery sees journalism as an extension of her disability advocacy. Editing daily news has helped her understand how narratives are shaped and how representation can shift attitudes. She has already noticed a change in colleagues’ language, framing, and sensitivity.

“My presence helps them understand where support is needed. They think more carefully about how disability is addressed in news.”

A new generation of reporters leading change

For Kowshik Ahmed Sajib, a trainee reporter with low vision, the opportunity was life-changing. Since childhood, he had undergone five eye surgeries, and breaking into the job market after university felt nearly impossible, especially after the passing of his father, the family’s main earner. He discovered the Dhaka Tribune opportunity while working with a local NGO campaign, submitted his CV, and soon became the only income earner for his mother, siblings, wife, and daughter.

Now, he covers disability-rights events, roundtables, and dialogues, often bringing insights drawn from lived experience.

“I was never confident I could work in media,” he admitted. “Society never made us believe we could do this. But from here, I gained confidence.”

His reporting has already shaped newsroom awareness.

“We bring our own problems and turn them into stories. Colleagues are learning that one report can influence attitudes and policy.”

For both journalists, representation is not symbolic; it is a structural shift in who gets to influence public narratives.

A step toward lasting transformation

The Dhaka Tribune’s decision carries national significance. Ahmad acknowledges the responsibility, “If we, as a relatively young newspaper, can do this, anyone can. All it takes is willpower and consciousness.”

UNESCO’s manual and awareness sessions did not simply inform journalists; they triggered a newsroom-level policy shift that opened the door for transformative hiring practices. The presence of these two professionals is already shaping editorial culture, expanding disability coverage, and demonstrating to the sector that inclusion is possible and beneficial.

What began as a manual and a workshop has evolved into a real institutional change, shifting mindsets, opening doors, and inspiring other media houses to reflect on their own practices.

As Kabery put it, “Joining the media is a power shift for us. The more we are in the media, the more we can portray what inclusivity means for people with disabilities.”