Established in 2005, SoMaSHTe – Society for Media and Suitable Human-Communication Techniques is a dedicated not-for-profit organization primarily focusing on media and communication. The organization is committed to ensuring the right to information, enhancing public access to information, amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, promoting press freedom, fostering media and communication literacy, striving for gender balance in journalism, and advocating for public interest journalism. SoMaSHTe employs a comprehensive approach that combines capacity building, research, and advocacy strategies to achieve its goals effectively.

SoMaSHTe’s mission encompasses the following objectives:

• Amplify the voices of the impoverished and marginalized, with a particular focus on women and children, to bring about positive transformations in their lives. This is achieved by enhancing the capacities of media professionals and practitioners.
• Foster sustainable development by advocating for good governance, human rights, and gender equality through engaging media and frontier communication initiatives.
• Influence markets and socio-political systems to secure tangible benefits for the livelihoods of the underprivileged.

Areas of Work

SoMaSHTe implements interventions in the media and communication sectors, focusing on the following areas:

Capacity Building

Journalism (including basic and specialized training for print, TV, and online platforms), communication, television and radio programming, social media, media relations, gender and human rights.

Advocacy and Media Campaign

Developing and implementing strategic campaigns on social issues, measuring campaign results, activating initiatives and managing media events.

Communication

Communication strategy development, scripting, directing, and producing electronic content and IEC materials (such as newsletters, booklets, books, posters, leaflets, multimedia content, etc.)

 Research

Media and communication research, audience research, content analysis, media monitoring, research and studies on social issues, including social communication, case studies, documentation, knowledge, attitude, and practice research, as well as behavioural change communication studies.

Governance

SoMaSHTe operates with an Executive Committee overseeing a team of staff, which includes full-time, part-time, and casual employees. They all work under the leadership of the Director.

Executive Committee

Chairperson: MR. ABU ALAM MD. SHAHID KHAN

Former Senior Secretary, Government of Bangladesh.

Vice Chairperson: MS. MUMITA TANJEELA

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Member Secretary: MR. MIR ATTAQUI MASRURUZZAMAN

Director, SoMaSHTe, Senior News Editor, Channel i, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Treasurer: MR. REAZ AHMAD,

Executive Editor, Dhaka Tribune, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Executive Members:

M KHAIRUL KABIR

Former Director General, Bangladesh Academy of Rural Development (BARD).

SALMA YASMIN

Senior News Editor, Banglavision, Dhaka.

ASADUZZAMAN

Senior Reporter, Daily Bhorer Kagoj, Dhaka.