Nazmul Ahasan
Portrait of Nazmul Ahasan

Nazmul Ahasan

Journalist · Dhaka
Code, data analysis, investigations, mapping, data viz, interactives, political economy — and journalism.

Nazmul Ahasan is Executive Editor at Netra News, a public-interest journalism platform in Bangladesh. Previously he was a US economy reporter at Bloomberg News in Washington, DC.

Earlier he was an editor at Radio Free Asia's BenarNews, shaping coverage across South and Southeast Asia, and before moving to the United States he worked at The Daily Star and Netra News in Dhaka.

He graduated from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2023. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Economist, The Telegraph, Haaretz, Columbia Journalism Review, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Selected work

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2026 Bangladesh's ‘interest' in joining Gaza security force comes with conditionsHaaretz · Jan 2026 Reporting · Analysis 2025 A Gunmaker's Lobbying Shows How Trump's Tariffs Changed the GameBloomberg · Oct 2025 Data 2025 States, Cities Face Funding Collapse Threat With Trump CutsBloomberg · May 2025 Data 2025 Economy in Counties Trump Won Points to Governing ChallengesBloomberg · Jan 2025 Data 2024 Hong Kong Finance Jobs Rebound to Record After Talent PushBloomberg · Nov 2024 Data 2024 Couche-Tard's 7-Eleven Overlaps to Face Skeptical US FTC ReviewBloomberg · Oct 2024 Data 2024 The Swing-State Economic Realities Shaping the US ElectionBloomberg · Aug 2024 Data · Interactive 2024 Bangladeshi Politician's UK Property Empire Under ScrutinyBloomberg · Feb 2024 Investigative · Data 2023 BODY COUNT: Extrajudicial Executions in BangladeshNetra News · Nov 2023 Award · Data · Interactive 2023 Pandemic Population Boom in Rural Hotspots Sparks ResentmentBloomberg · Sep 2023 Reporting · Data 2023 In a small French town where LyondellBasell is a fixture, residents complain of unending pollutionPublic Health Watch / Grist · Sep 2023 Award · OSINT · Data 2023 In Bangladesh's border with Myanmar, 2 Rohingya militant groups fight for dominanceBenarNews / RFA · Feb 2023 Reporting · Analysis 2022 Secret prisoners of DhakaNetra News · Aug 2022 Editing · Award · OSINT 2022 5 years on, Rohingyas in Bangladesh face hostility and dwindling aidDevex · Aug 2022 Reporting · Analysis 2022 Election deniers march toward power in key 2024 battlegroundsThe Washington Post · Aug 2022 OSINT · Assistance 2022 Internet entrepreneurs far from the U.S. are inflaming political division on Facebook to sell T-shirts and coffee mugsSan Francisco Chronicle · Mar 2022 OSINT · Investigative 2022 The U.S. Has a Police Brutality Problem. So Does Bangladesh.Foreign Policy · Jan 2022 Analysis · Opinion 2021 Power corruption: All the state minister's menNetra News · Aug 2021 Investigative · OSINT 2020 Infection and RepressionColumbia Journalism Review · Sep 2020 Assistance 2020 Coronavirus exposes the deep divide in Bangladeshi societyThe Telegraph · Jun 2020 Reporting 2020 Covid-19 infections are rising fast in Bangladesh, India and PakistanThe Economist · Jun 2020 Reporting · Analysis 2020 For Bangladesh, Recognizing Israel Is an Immoral ChoiceHaaretz · May 2020 Analysis · Opinion

Featured & cited in

Work appeared in
The Washington Post Bloomberg Foreign Policy The Economist The Telegraph Haaretz The Hindu San Francisco Chronicle
Interviewed by
The Guardian Al Jazeera BBC

Experience

Jan 2026 — presentDhaka

Executive Editor · Netra News

Help lead news coverage and editorial strategy at an independent, public-interest newsroom in Bangladesh.

Oversee daily reporting, investigations, and long-form projects, with a focus on accountability, governance, and human rights. Manage editors and reporters, set editorial priorities, and ensure rigorous fact-checking and legal review. Guide data-driven and investigative work, including cross-border collaborations and multimedia storytelling.

Jan 2024 — Dec 2025Washington, DC

US Economy Reporter · Bloomberg News

Reported on the US economy with an emphasis on data-driven analysis of labour markets, public finance, and demographic change.

Produced enterprise stories linking economic trends to political and policy outcomes. Used geospatial, statistical, and large administrative datasets to surface regulatory and market dynamics.

Aug 2023 — Jan 2024Washington, DC

English-Language Editor · BenarNews / Radio Free Asia

Edited and shaped coverage of Bangladesh's 2024 election, political violence, and democratic backsliding.

Worked with correspondents across South and Southeast Asia to ensure accuracy, clarity, and policy relevance. Handled fast-moving breaking news alongside deeper analytical and enterprise pieces.

2022Washington, DC

Intern · Investigative Reporting Workshop

Co-authored an award-winning investigative series on environmental governance, published with Grist and Public Health Watch.

Conducted political reporting and data analysis for The Washington Post's election coverage.

2021 — 2022Berkeley

Researcher · Investigative Reporting Program

Helped build a police use-of-force database for the California Reporting Project, a collaboration among major California newsrooms.

Contributed to the Mercury News' investigation into the disproportionate impact of San Jose police use-of-force incidents, and reported local politics for Richmond Confidential.

2022 — 2023Berkeley

Reader / Teaching Assistant · UC Berkeley

Supported undergraduate courses, including South and Southeast Asian history.

2019 — 2021; 2022 — 2023Dhaka & Berkeley

Investigative Reporter & Deputy Editor · Netra News

Investigated corruption, governance failures, and human rights abuses in Bangladesh.

Led the Body Count project on extrajudicial killings and co-reported Secret Prisoners of Dhaka. Oversaw editorial workflows and upheld investigative and ethical standards.

2019 — 2023Dhaka

Freelance Correspondent · Devex

Reported on the Rohingya crisis and Bangladesh's COVID-19 response, analysing their impact on domestic politics and international policy.

2017 — 2019Dhaka

Editorial Assistant · The Daily Star

Wrote agenda-setting op-eds and editorials shaping elite discourse on politics and governance at Bangladesh's largest English-language daily.

Reported longform features on marginalised communities, state policy, and political dynamics.

Awards & credentials

Education

Master of Journalism — Investigative & Data · 2023 · Commencement Speaker
Daffodil International University
BSS — Journalism & Mass Communication · 2018

Books & research

Routledge · 2022 · Co-author
Springer · 2021 · Co-author

Honours

FinalistLoeb Award
Shared · 2024
Shared · 2023

Fellowships

SABEW · 2025
UC Berkeley D-Lab · 2022
South Asian Journalists Association · 2022
Berkeley Journalism Fellowship
UC Berkeley GSJ · 2021
Chowdhury Center, UC Berkeley · 2021