Daffodil University Partners with Google, YouTube on Media Innovation

A delegation from the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC) at Daffodil International University (DIU) held separate strategic meetings with teams from Google and YouTube at Google Asia Pacific’s regional headquarters in Singapore, aiming to establish institutional collaborations in media education and digital innovation.

In the first meeting, representatives from DIU’s JMC department met with Adil Farhan of the Google News Initiative (GNI) team to explore opportunities for collaboration through seminars, internships, and masterclasses. 

DIU shared that its curriculum has already integrated key Google AI tools and digital journalism resources, aligning with global industry standards to prepare students for the rapidly evolving media landscape.

Dr. Aftab Hossain, Head of the JMC Department, emphasized the strategic importance of the collaboration:

“At the intersection of media and technology, our partnership with Google News Initiative will open new horizons for our students. Integrating AI tools into our curriculum is proof of our commitment to future-ready journalism education.”

Associate Professor Dr. Abdul Kabil Khan also joined the meeting as part of the university delegation.

The second meeting was held with Abu Saleh from YouTube's Strategic Partnerships team, focusing on developing a joint incubation initiative for emerging content creators. Both sides agreed to work together to expand digital safety awareness, community guidelines, and resource accessibility at the grassroots level.

The discussions emphasized equipping young creators with tools and training to responsibly navigate and contribute to the digital content ecosystem.

Speaking on behalf of Google, Adil Farhan said: “This partnership marks a significant step for us, as it is our first institutional collaboration with a journalism department in Bangladesh. Together with DIU, we hope to positively impact the awareness and application of AI tools and fact-checking practices in modern journalism.”

Notably, DIU is already serving as a strategic partner in Google’s “Information Credibility and AI Literacy Training” initiative in Bangladesh, managed in partnership with Prothom Alo.