The mass media can build social movements, mobilize communities and create positive policy changes for combating tuberculosis, a panel of journalists, physicians and nongovernmental representatives said at a roundtable discussion on Thursday in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the UNB/Financial Express reports. The roundtable included approximately 35 participants and was organized by the United News of Bangladesh and BRAC, an NGO that focuses on TB. During the discussion, participants identified some challenges and opportunities associated with media coverage of TB. Most of the journalists spoke of the need for a media guideline on TB reporting. Mahfuza Jasmine, social communicator of the BRAC Advocacy Unit, said the quality of media reports on TB needs to be improved. Although about 496 reports appeared in different national and local newspapers between January 2006 and March 2007, Jasmine said that reports do not appear often enough and that there is a lack of analytical articles. Director of Advocacy and Human Rights Unit at BRAC Afsan Chowdhury said the media's responsibility is to deliver information and not to change people's behavior. "The role of the media is to create awareness and to put pressure on policymakers after identifying the problems of various projects so that the programs run well," he said. Farid Hossain, the Associated Press bureau chief in Bangladesh, said that although people have known about TB for a long time, media can present information to their readers in a new way. Moyeen Ahmed, director of Panos Bangladesh, said that for reporting to be effective, it is essential that the media cultivate long-term relationships with TB experts (UNB/Financial Express, 4/20).