Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced a three-month meeting with the country’s top newspaper editors on independent journalism, the financial crisis of the media and the overall situation. He also gave a positive assurance about the payment of the bills in the media.
Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, who is the president of the Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (Noab) and the editor-in-chief of the daily Manabzamin, told reporters after a meeting held at the secretariat on Tuesday
Editors of various newspapers including Matiur Rahman (Prothom Alo), Mahfuz Anam (The Daily Star), AK Azad (Samakal), Dewan Hanif (Marry Message) and other editors were present at the meeting. Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan and Prime Minister’s Policy and Strategy Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman also attended the meeting.
After the meeting, Matiur Rahman Chowdhury said the newspaper industry is currently under a heavy financial pressure and uncertainty has been created about survival. In this context, there was an open discussion with the Prime Minister and he listened carefully to the issues.
He said the Prime Minister himself is aware of the reality of the industry as he has been associated with the newspaper for a long time. He said he had shown a positive attitude towards the demands raised during the meeting and could take some time to implement.
Regarding independent journalism, the Noab president said that the issue of ensuring freedom of the press was discussed. The prime minister said she does not want to see anyone as hostels — which conveys a positive message to the democratic environment.
The case and harassment against journalists were also discussed. The prime minister assured that the arrested journalists would be reviewed and the bail would be considered if necessary.
The government also discussed the payment of the media’s due bills and promised to take effective action in this regard.
The Prime Minister announced a meeting with the editors and owners every three months as the most important decision. Matiur Rahman Chowdhury said, “If this regular dialogue is held, the distance between the government and the media will be reduced and mutual understanding will increase.