PM asks media men to maintain professionalism

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday urged the media men to maintain professional honesty, responsibility and the highest level of caution.

Reaffirming her government's commitment to ensure freedom of press, she hoped that accuracy, creativity and truth should be the resort of the media personnel.

"Be cautious so that your coverage does not harm or hurt anyone," she told media people at a function organised to celebrate the first founding anniversary of private TV channel ntv at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the evening.

The ntv is one of three private satellite channels now operating in Bangladesh.

The prime minister expressed the hope that the TV channels would project real life, values, beliefs, culture and struggle for prosperity of the countrymen and society in their programmes.

She demanded of all the electronic media to give importance to the issues of children, cooperation for the advancement of women and backward masses and not to forget the expatriate Bangladeshis.

In her speech the prime minister regretted that she could not appear at the magnificent function in a cheerful mood as a vast area of the country is under floodwater.

The prime minister urged all, especially the affluent, to stand by the flood-hit people.

She requested the media, including the ntv, to encourage all to stand by the suffering humanity.

The prime minister said she felt proud of freedom of press and expression being ensured by her party.

"We were the first to open sky in Bangladesh," she told the function.

Information Minister M Shamsul Islam and ntv Managing Director Enayetur Rahman also spoke at the function.

Ministers, MPs, diplomats, elite and media men attended the function.