Mobile journalists Sabbir Ahmed and Jamil Khan on creating a mobile-first newsroom

Subscribe to the Journalism.co.uk podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify

More and more audiences are using their smartphones to find and engage with the news they care about. In the UK, the Digital News Report 2021 found that 68 per cent of people get their news on their phones, a figure that has doubled over a nine-year period.

To create mobile-friendly content, you need to be using mobile devices. That is at least the attitude of two co-authors of a new mobile journalism manual written in Bangla, the Bengali language.

Abdul Kabil Khan - more commonly known in the media as Jamil Khan - is the assistant professor at the department of media studies and journalism at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. He wrote the book with Sabbir Ahmed, the YouTuber behind 150k-subscriber-strong channel Sabbir Live, and the lead mobile journalist at Bangladesh Times.

Bangladesh Times is a mobile-first newsroom and one of a few examples we have seen in South Asia. This means Ahmed spends most of his time in the field, creating and uploading content with his smartphone, gimbals, tripods and drones.

In this week's podcast, Ahmed and Khan share their top tips and takeaways from the manual to help you create a mobile-first strategy. The main message: all the gadgets and features in the world will only get you so far; you first need to embrace a digital-first mindset.

Free daily newsletter

If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).