Media Resources Development Initiative

MRDI began its journey in 2001 and has become a leading media development organisation in Bangladesh with the vision to establish a just and open society. An ardent advocate of right to information, MRDI was among the prime campaigners that brought about the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) in Bangladesh. Always keen to alleviate the plight of the marginalised communities, this organisation also has a commendable footprint in corporate social responsibility (CSR). But over the years, MRDI has emerged as a premier media development organisation conducting a host of other activities geared towards its mission to build a strong and independent media that empowers the people and demands accountability in all spheres of life through its strategic objectives. In line with its goal to build a free and objective media in Bangladesh, this organisation regularly commissions research, conducts surveys and produces a wide variety of materials to aid journalists and journalism. Besides its repertoire of reporting handbooks and toolkits, MRDI has embarked on a new initiative to create a repository of data and statistics that will strive to become the one-stop solution of journalists’ data needs. MRDI is most noted for training journalists of all platforms and mediums in Bangladesh because of the quality of its trainers, depth of the topics and effectiveness of the sessions. The organisation’s initiative to strengthen investigative journalism in Bangladesh can be said to have led to a renewed interest for in-depth investigations both among media outlets and individual reporters. In keeping with its commitment to people’s right to information, MRDI strives to build an environment where citizens and officials do not view each other as adversaries when one is seeking information from the other. Towards that end, MRDI’s partnership with government agencies and engagement with citizens have strengthened the demand for information while enhancing capabilities of officials. An emerging culture of pro-active disclosure stemming from heightened commitment to openness bears testimony to MRDI’s extensive efforts and contribution to governance. The organisation’s aspiration for a free and independent media and its unrelenting efforts to help strengthen the news industry as well as its practitioners has led to substantial goodwill across the media landscape of Bangladesh. MRDI prides itself as an organisation that practices the same standards of transparency and governance as those it preaches and advocates in its quest for stronger democracy.