TBS's Rafim, 3 others selected for PIB research grants, each to receive Tk3 lakh
The four researchers were selected from 171 proposals under PIB’s guest research programme and will have six months to complete their studies.
The Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) has selected four research proposals under its guest research programme, with each researcher set to receive a Tk3 lakh grant to complete their study within six months.
Tashahud Ahamed Rafim, a subeditor at The Business Standard and a student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka, is among the four researchers selected from 171 proposals following a three-stage evaluation process involving assessments, interviews and presentations, according to a press release issued today (13 October).
Rafim's proposed research is titled "International portrayal of the July Mass Uprising: A comparative analysis of South Asian media".
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The other selected researchers are Naimul Hasan, associate professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, in the United States; Mir Huzaifa Al Mamduh, a researcher at Drik Trust; and Muhammad Muzzammil Haque, a student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka.
Naimul's study will examine media coverage of extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh from 2009 to 2024 using artificial intelligence. Huzaifa will research TikTok and the digital class divide, focusing on experiences of marginalisation, while Muzzammil Haque's proposal explores information flows and digital activism during the July Mass Uprising in 2024.
PIB invited research proposals through advertisements published in four national dailies on 26 August 2025, seeking studies on contemporary issues including changes in the media landscape, journalism, misinformation and disinformation, digital journalism, media and historical narratives, and the use of artificial intelligence in the media.
A total of 171 proposals were submitted by the deadline of 20 September 2025.
PIB initially shortlisted 60 based on their structure, content and budgets, then selected 21 following further quality assessments.
Twelve proposals advanced to the final stage, where interviews and presentations helped determine the four successful applicants.
The institute had planned to select five proposals but finalised only four on quality grounds. The researchers will receive the first instalment of their grants soon and will each be assigned a supervisor, the press release said.
