RTI stressed as a journalistic tool.

Bangladesh News; Sunday, Apr 17, 2011,

Dhaka, April 16 (bdnews24.com) – Right to Information (RTI) Act can be used as a strategic tool for writing investigative stories by journalists, feel legal experts and journalists.

They came up with the observation at a roundtable on 'Use of RTI by Journalists: Lessons from International Experience', organised by Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) in the capital on Saturday.

"Media needs to be more pro-active to be RTI pioneers to get better investigative stories," Ralph Frammolino, former Los Angeles Times reporter said, adding that media needs to be RTI watchdogs.

Assistant Editor of India's Outlook magazine Saikat Datta said, "Journalists in South Asia face hindrances from the bureaucrats, who always try to take shelter of the Official Secrets Act."

Giving a background of the RTI Act in India, Saikat Datta said people's right to know was the first step towards a rights-based democracy.

He said media should not only promote RTI Act, rather use it to unravel corruptions and irregularities.

Participating journalists shared their experiences and recommended that the authorities be more proactive towards disclosing information.

MRDI has created a helpdesk to support journalists who want to use RTI Act in writing their investigative reports, said a press release.

The present government passed the act in parliament in March 2009.