Bangladesh enjoys greater press freedom than others

Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday claimed that Bangladesh has been enjoying greater press freedom than other countries around the world.

He made these remarks after holding a meeting with visiting chairpersons of press councils of India, Turkey, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan at the secretariat.

In a country like United Kingdom, the minister said, a 108-year-old newspaper was forcefully shut down following the publishing of wrong news.

Besides, many officials, including executive director of an institution like BBC resigned following the broadcast of wrong information about a member of parliament, he added.

The minister said the Bangladesh government issued licences to 44 television channels, of which 33 are already on air.

Besides, there are also 200 newspapers and 3,000 web portals operating across the country.