It will weaken foundation of democracy

The National Broadcast Policy-2014 recently passed by the government will weaken the foundation of democracy and hinder the advancement of the mass media, Editors Council said.

In a statement, it said it was concerned that freedom of expression and free flow of information would be restricted through enforcement of the broadcast policy and other government measures.

The government issued a gazette notification on the policy in the first week of this month.

“The Editors Council thinks the government wants to control the media through these steps,” says the statement issued by the council after a meeting at The Daily Star Centre in the capital yesterday.

Daily Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar, who is the chairman of the council, presided over the meeting. 

The broadcast policy conflicts with the Right to Information Act ensuring people's access to information and the constitution that guarantees media freedom and other civil rights, the council said. 

It would welcome any initiative by the stakeholders to frame an internationally accepted code of conduct to ensure an environment of responsible journalism and free flow of information, the statement says.

The council also condemned the police raid on the Daily Inqilab office and arrest, harassment and attack on media workers in various places of the country on Tuesday.

It expressed deep condolences for the deaths of senior journalist and columnist ABM Musa and former editor and Editors Council member Mahbubul Alam.

Newspaper editors Mahfuz Anam, Matiur Rahman, Reazuddin Ahmed, Tasmima Hossain, Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Mozammel Hossain, Shyamal Dutt, Alamgir Mohiuddin, Khandker Muniruzzaman, Moazzem Hossain, Imdadul Haque Milon, Naem Nizam, Shahjahan Sardar, Saiful Alam, Amir Hossain, M Shamsur Rahman and Dewan Hanif Mahmud were present at the meeting.