On a special occasion at a special time, I have come before you today with a few words. All of you, all of us, are going through a hard time. An invisible killer called the coronavirus is engulfing the whole world, and our only way of protecting ourselves is to stay aware, stay at home and pray for the mercy of Almighty Allah, Rabbul Alamin. I and all of us constantly keep Bangladesh and the whole world in our prayers, as you do too. Marking the special occasion that brings me before you today, we once again pray specially to the Creator for all of us.

The occasion is Channel i Online stepping into its sixth year. On this day in 2015 we began our online operation, as one of the first of Bangladesh's TV channels to do so. Just as Channel i, in return for people's trust, is the leading TV channel for Bengali speakers in the country and around the world, Channel i Online has in these six years established itself as the most trusted news outlet in Bangladesh's online world. For that I thank and congratulate every staff member of Channel i and Channel i Online. I also once more congratulate and thank our readers, viewers and sponsors for the way people have embraced Channel i Online as a medium of honest journalism. We want to promise again that, to honour your trust, we will take the utmost care in future as we have in the past.

For the past four decades I have been involved in the media and in development journalism. In that time we have seen many ups and downs in Bangladesh and the world and faced many natural and man-made challenges, but no one ever imagined, even remotely, the challenge journalism faces today because of the coronavirus. For the past month and a half in Bangladesh, in balancing our own safety with people's natural need for information, we have faced new challenges not just every day but every hour and every moment. By Allah's boundless grace, because we were able to make an immediate and somewhat medium-term plan at the very start, we have been able to meet almost all of people's need for information, while following the principles and ethics of journalism, even in this challenging time. You must surely be seeing that reflected on our television screen and online.

Well before the first coronavirus patient was identified in Bangladesh, we made a plan for what we would do in such a situation. In it we are following the guidelines of the World Health Organization, the world media and various international journalists' organisations, in everything from personal protection to journalism.

Journalism, especially television journalism, is a profession that cannot be done entirely from home. So the first thing we did was turn whatever work could be done from home into a home office. As part of that, for more than a month our online staff have been working entirely in a virtual office from their own homes. Alongside online, even our digital operation is running from the virtual office; staff only need to stay connected to the office's central server. We have also turned part of the television operation into a virtual office. With a glance around our newsroom we can see who is editing which report from home at which workstation, who is putting out the ticker and breaking news, and who is working on which graphics. Much else like this is being done from home offices.

Even so, some areas, such as transmission and the news control room, have to be run as before and will continue to be. Although we are doing many interviews digitally, some of our reporters still have to go into the field. In every case we are trying to give our staff the highest protection by following international guidelines, but the risk remains. On behalf of the management, we thank and express our gratitude to the staff who keep working despite that risk.

We are working under this risk with one aim: to meet your desire for information in this special time, as always. In the coronavirus situation, knowing the facts matters even more. Especially now, when social media is full of more hearsay than news, more rumour than reality and more publicity than work, informing people correctly has come to the fore. Alongside making people aware, it is also very important to point out official mistakes, or matters that have escaped the authorities' notice, and so make them aware as well. The journalism we do for people is even more necessary in today's context, and we are striving for it on television and online. You must surely understand that many important decisions have come, are coming and will come because of the media playing its proper role.

We are doing our best within the many limitations of this moment. In this challenging time we want more of your support and cooperation, whether through courage or by telling us of something that is escaping the notice of the government and of us.

Once more, greetings to all on Channel i Online's anniversary. Let us stay aware, keep courage in our hearts and face the present situation. Almighty Allah will surely help us. Keeping Hridoye Mati O Manush in our hearts, through our combined efforts we will surely get through this time to a bright morning. I wish everyone good health.

From the video message of Channel i's director and head of news, marking Channel i Online stepping into its sixth year on 20 April.

Source: Shykh Seraj. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.