The contemporary authorities is working to be sure the media can work independently as it has no longer requested any media outlet to eliminate news experiences, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said.
“After taking oath, the Yunus-led intervening time authorities has no longer requested any media stores to eliminate any unique file,” he said on the Investigative Journalism Awards and Conclave 2024 organised by the Transparency World Bangladesh in Dhaka on the present time (5 December).
Talking about misinformation, he mentioned that the viral screenshots of supposed messages between a senior secretary and a joint secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration on the appointment of deputy commissioners were pretend.
“A daunting lie used to be printed referring to the senior secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration. After the news came out, we formed a committee,” he said, relating to the news, first printed by a Bangla day-to-day on 3 October.
“The committee performed an investigation into the sphere by a third birthday celebration,” Shafiqul said. “The committee stumbled on the screenshots were pretend.”
Media control by Hasina regime
The press secretary additionally mentioned that Hasina’s authorities managed the media in three ways – by appointing birthday celebration other folks to high positions in somewhat a few authorities businesses, administration and media.
The regime additionally gave approval for registration to newspapers, television and on-line portals on a mass scale but easiest one-fourth of the authorized stores had the means to plug the clicking, he added.
Moreover, the ousted Awami League regime appointed other folks from their birthday celebration on the policy-making stage of those stores, the clicking secretary said.
“Which means that, journalists of those stores couldn’t publish any file that used to be serious of the authorities,” he added.
Shafiqul, who beforehand served as the chief of the international news company AFP’s Bangladesh bureau, additionally said the Hasina admin archaic laws enforcement businesses against the clicking to govern the media.
“Usually interventions were made by ministers. They archaic to call the media’s high management and quiz them to sack journalists. Moreover, the Top Minister’s Press Flit used to be dedicated to calling media homes and asking them to delete news experiences that were serious of the authorities.”
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman moderated the tournament the build chief of Media Reform Fee Kamal Ahmed, Unique Age Editor Nurul Kabir and others spoke.
Media licences below political consideration
Kamal Ahmed in his speech said a wonderful number of newspapers and television channels had been given licences all around the Hasina regime below political consideration though they didn’t hold the aptitude to plug a media outlet.
He well-known that Bangladesh currently has 46 running satellite television channels and 546 newspapers.
“Most of them were given licences all around the fascist Hasina regime with out all for whether or no longer these media retain public hobby or no longer. These media homes’ feature used to be to counter those media which tried purpose journalism,” added the commission head.
Bid of investigative journalism
Unique Age Editor Nurul Kabir called on the authorities to introduce a novel wage board that pays journalists in step with the unique financial system.
“Investigative journalism is awfully pricey. With out ample budget, you can no longer end it. Reporters battle to operate below the ninth wage board. It [current wage board] used to be made 8-10 years ago, and it’s no longer in accordance with the demonstrate inflated financial system,” added Kabir.
Earlier within the morning, all over a panel dialogue on “Investigative Journalism in Bangladesh”, Golam Mortaza, newly appointed press minister at Bangladesh Mission in Washington, said easiest 15%-20% of experiences on militants were in step with investigative reporting by journalists, while the closing 80%-85% relied on police sources, serving the police’s agenda.
He added, “Other folks, corresponding to madrasa lecturers with beards and caps, were labeled as militants with out honest justification, and there used to be no opportunity to danger these claims.”
Later, TIB announced the winners of the Investigative Journalism Awards and Conclave 2024.
The Day-to-day Enormous establish reporter Zyma Islam used to be awarded within the national media class; Shariful Islam, chief reporter at Chattogram’s Ekhushe Patrika received within the native media class; and Al-Amin Haque Ahon of Jamuna Television received the award within the television class.
Talaash, a programme of Fair Television, used to be awarded within the documentary class.
