Noab, Atco worried over misuse of section 57

Newspapers Owners' Association of Bangladesh (Noab) and Association of Television Channels Owners (Atco) yesterday expressed concern over the misuse of section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act.

Speaking at a joint meeting at Dhaka Club, they also voiced worries over an initiative to incorporate all the anti-free press elements of section 57 into section 19 of the proposed Digital Security Act.

The owners of both print and electronic media outlets said although the government formulated a national online policy to control online news portals, there is no policy for Google, YouTube and Value Added Service, said a press release from Noab.

They also decided to sit with the government to discuss the issues, it said, adding that they hoped the discussions would help find solutions.

Like in other countries, the media owners said, the newspaper industry in Bangladesh is also becoming weak and its earning is decreasing. Besides, the industry has to face many competitions, said the press release.

The revenue collection from advertisement is also declining but the size of investment had to be increased. Against this backdrop, implementation of the ninth wage board award would put the newspaper industry under more pressure, it said.

On behalf of Noab, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Samakal Publisher AK Azad, The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam, among others, were present at the meeting while the Atco leaders included Salman F Rahman and Mozammel Haque Babu.