Shahnaz Munni (born 8 February 1969) is a Bangladeshi journalist, poet and writer. Since January 2016, she has been chief news editor with the

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

-based television channel News24. She also takes a special interest in children's welfare. As of 2023, she has written 24 books.

Education

Born on 8 February 1969 in

, Munni attended Dhaka's Holy Cross College before studying social sciences at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

in 1994.

Career

On graduation, Munni's career as a journalist started with

Ekushey Television Ekushey Television (; , in reference to 21 February), also known by its acronym ETV, is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language privately owned satellite and cable television channel. It is headquartered in Kawran Bazar, Dhaka, and is Bangladesh's first ...

at the beginning in 1999. She then joined

ATN Bangla ATN Bangla (), 'ATN' being the acronym of the unused Asian Television Network, is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel owned by Multimedia Production Company. It is based in the Kawran Bazar neighborhood of Dha ...

as a senior reporter in 2003 before moving to News 24 as a special correspondent. In 2016, she was promoted to senior news editor. Munni has also taken a special interest in children's welfare. In September 2006, she was one of the 20 eminent poets who contributed to

Unicef UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

's Child Rights Poetry Festival aimed at improving society's attitudes towards the rights of children. In 2009, she won second prize in the Meena Media Awards in the over-18 television journalism category for reporting on children sniffing glue. She commented that it was often difficult to cover children on television as the media are primarily interested in adult viewers: "There is so much scope for the media to improve the situation of children, but first we need to change the attitude and mindset of the editorial decision makers." In 2013, in her role as an ambassador of MCHIP (Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program), she visited the communities of Amjiriganj and Nabiganj Upazilas, collecting background for the 50 success stories she is writing for the MaMoni

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...

project. Munni has also contributed to fighting tuberculosis in Bangladesh, assisting BRAC on the three-member jury for the 2015 awards. As a writer, Munni is a poet, an essayist, a short story writer and a novelist, writing for young people. ''Jiner Konnaya'' (The Spirit's Daughter), her first book of short stories was published in 1997. Munni has participated in the "Poets Translating Poets" project run by the

Goethe Institute The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...

under which poets writing in the Indian and South Asian languages were introduced to German poetry while their works were translated into German. Several of her Bengali poems were translated into German while she translated poems by the modern German poet Hendrik Jackson. As a sociology graduate of the University of Dhaka, Munni has carried out research in connection with

Azfar Hussain Azfar Hussain () is a Bangladeshi American theorist, critic, academic, bilingual writer, poet, and translator. He is an Associate Professor of Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies within the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studie ...

Works

* ''Elo Kruddho Ondhokar'' * ''Badur o Brandy'' * ''Tritiyo Ghonta Porar Agei'' * ''Paan Sundori'' * ''Ami ar Amin Jokhon Azimpur Thaktam'' * ''Snaner Shobdo''

Awards

* 1429

Anannya Literature Award Anannya Literature Award () is the prize for women in Bangladesh recognition of contribution to the field of literature by Anannya Magazine in every Bengali year since 1401 (Gregorian 1993). Winners References Bangladeshi literary awards ...

(2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munni, Shahnaz Living people 1969 births People from Dhaka Holy Cross College, Dhaka alumni University of Dhaka alumni 21st-century Bangladeshi women journalists Bangladeshi women writers Bangladeshi women poets Women television journalists Academic staff of the University of Dhaka 21st-century Bangladeshi journalists