Salma Ahmed
I am Salma Ahmed, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Department of Jahangirnagar University. I was born on November 12 in Feni District of Bangladesh. I completed my B.S.S & M.S.S in Mass Communication and Journalism Department obtaining 1st Class 3rd Rank from University of Dhaka. Being student of Mass Communication and Journalism, I used to work in various fields of broadcast journalism as News Presenter, Sports Reporter in prominent news channel like NTV and Channel I. I also worked as Intern Reporter (2003) and enlisted presenter of nation owned Bangladesh Television.
My professional career started as scriptwriter and researcher of X-Crime an Investigative Crime Program in Bangla Vision, a private TV channel of Bangladesh from its inception and worked also as Program presenter and News presenter. In 2007, I joined as Senior Lecturer at Department of Communication & Media Studies of University of Development Alternative (UODA). I worked as News Presenter in Channel 24 in 2012.
My first Photo Exhibition “Nurjahan Begum – Life & Work”, held on 4th June, 2007 at National Press Club, Dhaka, organized by “Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendra” (A Center for Women Journalist, Bangladesh) and jointly conducted with Sayeda Khanom, Pioneer and Eminent photographer of Bangladesh. And my Solo Photo Exhibition held on 20-26th November, 2012 at Drik Gallery, Dhaka on “Shuvas Datta – Life & work”. On February 9, 2013, Channel I Television aired my documentary, which explores the rich tapestry of Shuvas Datta’s life and work.
I worked in various research programs such as “Role of Nurjahan Begum in the Expansion of Women Journalism (2004 – 2005)” ; “Media Advocacy Strategy to Prevent Smoking” (2004 – 2005)”; “Late Journalist Abdus Salam” (2002-2003) “Evaluation of Photojournalism: Perspective Bangladesh” (2003-2004) ; “Place of Visualization in Photograph” (2004) ; “Evaluation of Photojournalism: Perspective Bangladesh” (2003-2004); “Categorizations of the Newspaper in Bangladesh: An overview” (2004-2005); “Peoples and Institutions involved in outlining communication policies and the processes of their involvement: Obstacles & Accommodations” (2005); “Role of Community Radio to improve social position of Disable people: Perspective Bangladesh” (2016-2017); “Practices of third film in Bangladesh: Historical Background of crisis & possibilities” (2017-2018); “Cultural impact on Indigenous people for using Social Media & Digital technology: Perspective Bangladesh” (2017-2018); “Necessity of Special Page in National News Paper: A plan & analysis-Bangladesh Perspective”(2018-2019); “Women in Bangladesh Television Drama: Many Facets of Gender Discrimination”(2019-2020); “Impact of Cartoons on Children’s live: Perspective Bangladesh” (2020-2021); Importance of Media Advocacy in raising health awareness of Children with Disabilities in Corona Disasters: Perspective Bangladesh (2021-2022); The Thin Blue Line: Impact of investigation on judicial review (2022-2023); Election Engineering in Bangladesh: An analysis of voter sentiment and the role of Artificial Intelligence (2023-2024), Digital activism: Social media’s role in social movements (2024-2025), The Role of Media Advocacy in Preventing Mob Violence: A Constructive Approach (2025-2026).
I have participated in a wide range of professional trainings, workshops and academic events that have enriched my understanding of pedagogy, communication and media practice. My professional development includes completing the Tertiary Pedagogy training (3–5 January 2017) and the workshop on Fostering Curriculum and Research in Communication for Development (C4D) among academic institutions (20–23 August 2017). I also successfully completed the 46th Foundation Training Course conducted by the NCC Bank Training Institute from 12 November to 8 December 2011. More recently, I took part in the Fact-checking Training for Teachers under the project Promoting Fact-checking to Counter Misinformation in Bangladesh (7–9 May 2023), organized by MRDI and Internews with support from USAID.
Alongside these trainings, I have been actively involved as a guest speaker and presenter at several academic and professional forums. I presented “State of Photography” at the Nepal Forum of Photojournalists (3–5 March 2019) and “Communication in Airline” at the Nepal Airhostess Academy in 2019. I also conducted a seminar and audio-visual presentation titled “Soovash Dutt: From Sutorang to Begum Rokeya” at the Department of Fine Arts, University of Chittagong, in May 2017. Additionally, I completed the Facilitator Development Workshop (FDW) under the “Youth Connect: Digital Citizenship and Misinformation Resilience Project” from 29 October to 3 November 2025, organized by the British Council in partnership with CQS-ULAB. Together, these experiences demonstrate my sustained commitment to academic advancement, interdisciplinary engagement and the promotion of responsible media practices. Beyond training and academic engagements, I have contributed to the media and communication sector in various capacities, including serving as a judge for the Investigative Reporting category at the Community Radio Right to Information Program Making Competition organized by BNNRC in 2017, and as a judge for the Debate Competition hosted by the television channel ATN Bangla. In 2019, I also addressed a formal letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, which led to a Syndicate decision to change the name of an office, helping eliminate gender-based discrimination between male and female students. Together, these experiences reflect my sustained commitment to academic advancement, ethical communication practices and meaningful social impact.
‘Oggyatonama: Story of Humanity and Human Disaster’, a movie analysis published in Bangladesh Cinema and Television Institute Journal, in June, 2017. A critical writing ‘Living on Light and Shadow of Visual Sense’ published in online journal E-Prokash on October 31, 2017. ‘Terminating Diversity, Germinating ‘Otherness’: The case of food and Food Habit’, a research paper had been published jointly with Rasheed Mahmood at PEOPLES PREFECE, a journal of Research Initiatives in 2017. ‘Present Situation of Disabilities in Bangladesh’; a Country Paper present jointly with Dr.Ajanta Rani Saha on the Programme & Abstracts of the 23rd Conference of AFID,18-23 November 2017; Organized by jointly Asian Federation & Intellectual Disabilities (AFID) & Society for the welfare of the Intellectually Disabled Bangladesh (SWID). This Country paper had been published at Asia-Pacific Journal of Intellectual Disabilities (APJID) in December, 2018.A critical research article ‘Roshoman film: Analysis of nature of truth & representation of hope in society and civilization’ had been published at The Jahangirnagar Review Part-C,Vol. XXVIII, a Faculty journal of Arts and Humanities in 2017. Another critical research article ‘The role of Community Radio to improve the social condition of disable people: Perspective Bangladesh’ had been published at The Jahangirnagar Reveiw Part-C,Vol.XXIX, a Faculty journal of Arts and Humanities in 2018. ‘Representation of Liberation War in the Films of 90s’ had been published jointly with Sumaiya Shifat at “Communications. Media. Design”, (Vol 4 No 4), is the official academic journal of the HSE University, 2019. A critical writing ‘Evolution of Photography: Perspective Bangladesh’ had been published at MANAN-An Academic peer reviewed Journal of All Bengal State Govt. College Teachers’ Association; Vol.VI, No.1 & 2, January & July 2019, Page 81-99, ISSN 2348-3849, Calcutta, India. Another critical research article ‘Third Cinema practices in Bangladesh: Historical background of crisis and Possibilities’ had been published at The Jahangirnagar Review Part-C,Vol.XXX, a Faculty journal of Arts and Humanities in 2019. A critical writing ‘Necessity of Special Page in National News Paper: A Plan & Analysis-Bangladesh Perspective’ MANAN-An Academic peer reviewed Journal of All Bengal State Govt. College Teachers’ Association; Vol.VI, No.1 & 2, January & July 2021, Page 44-100, ISSN 2348-3849, Calcutta, India. ‘The Thin Blue Line: Impact of investigation on judicial review’ had been published jointly with Oni Ahmed at Society Language and Culture-A Multidisciplinary peer reviewed Journal; April, 2023-March, 2024; Globalization and Conditions of Social A Unit of Society, Language and Culture Trust, ISSN 2583-0341, Calcutta, India. Another critical research article ‘Election Engineering in Bangladesh: An Analysis of Voter Sentiment and the Role of Artificial Intelligence’ had been published at ‘Communications. Media. Design’, (Vol 10 No 2), is the official academic journal of the HSE University, JUNE 2025, ISSN: 2542-1395, Moscow, Russia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/cmd.2025.v10.i2.
I have been involved in activities of Society for the Welfare of the Intellectually Disabled (SWID), Ramna Branch since last fifteen years. I was honored to receive the ‘Communicative Educator of the Year 2022’ International Award for my contributions to the field of communicative education. The award was presented at the ‘Asian Professional Achievement Award Dubai 2022’ ceremony, organized by Photography Organization Season Media Pvt. Ltd. in Nepal, in collaboration with partners from Dubai and the UAE, and held on September 29, 2022, in Dubai. I was honored to receive the ‘Bangladesh Outstanding Photography Excellence Award 2019’ at the ‘International Excellence Award 2019, Malaysia’ ceremony. This international accolade, recognizing contributions to the field of photography, was organized by Photography Organization Season Media Pvt. Ltd. in Nepal, in collaboration with Malaysian partners, and took place on May 20, 2019, in Malaysia. I was awarded the ‘PR Excellence & International Relations’ International Award for my contributions to the fields of Public Relations and International Relations. This award was organized by the Public Relations Council of India in collaboration with Bengaluru University and was presented on March 6 in India. I was honored to receive the ‘Human Rights Award 2013,’ a prestigious national recognition for my contributions to the field of photography. This award was conferred by the Bangladesh Environment Human Rights Implementation Society.
I have actively engaged in both national and international academic conferences, contributing to the advancement of research and professional discourse in media, communication, journalism, and intellectual disability studies. I represented Bangladesh and presented country papers at the 23rd and 24th Conferences of the Asian Federation on Intellectual Disabilities (AFID) held in Dhaka in 2017 and in Nepal in 2019, respectively. In the domain of media and communication, I presented a paper at the First International Conference on Media, Communication, and Journalism: Prospects and Challenges at the University of Chittagong in 2017. Beyond presenting research, I have contributed to academic leadership through service on the Organizing Committee of the ‘National Conference 2023: Journalism, Media & Communication’ at Jahangirnagar University. I have also participated in the 4th, 7th, and 10th CJEN Bangladesh Networking Conferences (2021, 2023, and 2025), which explored critical issues including the role of news media during COVID-19, social media behavior, media education, and the transformation of the media landscape in Bangladesh. Collectively, these experiences demonstrate my sustained commitment to scholarly engagement, knowledge dissemination, and fostering professional collaboration at both national and regional levels.
In addition to my academic responsibilities, I have been actively engaged in promoting student development and strengthening institutional initiatives. I have served in several leadership roles, including Student Welfare Advisor, Sports Coordinator and Teacher-in-Charge of the Departmental Seminar Library. Through these responsibilities, I have worked to build a supportive, participatory and inclusive learning environment that reaches beyond the traditional classroom setting.
I am a dedicated academic with substantial experience in editorial and scholarly activities. I have served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Journalism and Media, the flagship publication of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS), where I have maintained strong intellectual and ethical standards while encouraging critical debates within the discipline. I am also an Editorial Board Member of the Jahangirnagar University Review, the official journal of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, where I actively support interdisciplinary academic work.
My editorial responsibilities extend beyond the university as well. I serve on the Editorial Board of the National Institute of Mass Communication Journal (NIMCO), a prominent national platform for media research and policy discussion. Additionally, I am an external member of the National Forum of Photojournalists Nepal (NFPJ), which reflects my broader regional engagement and commitment to visual journalism and cross-border academic collaboration.
Over the years, I have actively contributed to academic and professional development through a variety of leadership and membership role. I served as Convener and Advisor of the Photography Club at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Jahangirnagar University (2016–2019), and as Convener and Advisor of the Communication Club at the Department of Communication & Media Studies, University of Development Alternative (2007–2011). I have also held positions such as Sports Advisor and Manager of Women Students at Jahangirnagar University (2018–2020), Member of the University Diary and Calendar Printing Committee (2019–2022), and Coordinator for Cultural Programs at Jahangirnagar University (2017–2020). Additionally, I have been a member of the Department of Physical Education at Jahangirnagar University (2019–2020) and participated as a member of the 6th Convocation in 2023. Beyond the university, I hold leadership and membership roles in professional bodies, including Vice Chairperson of the World Communicators Council (Bangladesh Chapter) since 2019, and membership in the Bangladesh Women Journalists Association (2012–present), Bangladesh Photojournalist Association (2007–present), and the National Forum of Photojournalists (NFPJ) since 2017. I am also an Alumni of the U.S. State Department and a member of the Global International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) Network since 2021. In 2021, I had the opportunity to participate online in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP-2021), sponsored and invited by the U.S. government. Again, in 2022, I participated in the IVLP in person, with funding and invitation from the U.S. government. These positions and experiences reflect my sustained commitment to academic leadership, professional development, and fostering collaborative learning environments.