Four proposals selected; each researcher awarded Tk3 lakh

The Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) has selected four research proposals for its Guest Research Programme, with each researcher set to receive a grant of Tk3 lakh to complete their study within six months.
A three-member jury board comprising a PIB representative and two university professors selected the proposals from 171 submissions following a three-stage evaluation process that included interviews and presentations.
The selected proposals cover media portrayals of the July Mass Uprising, media coverage of extrajudicial killings, digital class divisions on TikTok and digital activism during periods of crisis.
Selected researchers and their topics
Tashahud Ahamed Rafim, a student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, will study the international portrayal of the July Mass Uprising through a comparative analysis of South Asian media.
Naeemul Hassan, an associate professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland in the United States, will conduct an artificial intelligence-based analysis of the media's role in addressing extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh from 2009 to 2024.
Mir Hojaifa Al Mamduh, a researcher at Drik Trust, will examine TikTok and digital class divisions, focusing on experiences of marginalisation.
Muhammad Muzzammil Haque, a student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, will research information flows during crises and digital activism, focusing on the use of new media during the July Mass Uprising of 2024.
PIB invited research proposals from interested Bangladeshi citizens through an announcement published in four national dailies on 26 August 2025. The programme prioritised contemporary issues, including changes in the media landscape, journalism, misinformation and disinformation, digital journalism, media narratives of history and the use of artificial intelligence in the media.
A total of 171 proposals were submitted from home and abroad by the deadline of 20 September 2025.
Based on assessments of the proposals' structure, content and budgets, 60 were initially selected. The jury then shortlisted 21 proposals after further evaluation, followed by a final shortlist of 12 for interviews and presentations.
Although PIB initially planned to select five proposals, the jury finalised only four, citing quality considerations.
The first instalment of the research grants will be disbursed to the selected researchers soon. Each researcher will also be assigned a supervisor to support the completion of their study.