'State of emergency hinders press freedom'
Speakers at a discussion yesterday said the state of emergency is an obstacle to the way of practicing independent journalism.
They urged the newspaper editors and owners of the media houses to be united against different sorts of written and hidden censorships imposed on the media during the state of emergency to preserve the dignity of professional journalism.
The discussion on 'Journalism under the state of emergency' was organised by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ) of Dhaka University (DU) at the university's RC Majumder auditorium to mark the World Press Freedom Day.
Acting chairman of MCJ department Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique chaired the discussion.
Speakers at the discussion alleged that ever since the state of emergency was imposed, the media industry has been facing different sorts of visible and invisible threats from the government and its quarters.
They said under the state of emergency the basic and constitutional rights of people are being violated.
Editor of the New Age Nurul Kabir said a new trend was seen in the media industry after the existing emergency had been imposed.
He alleged a number of media provided support to the emergency from the earliest and published or telecast news in favour of the emergency and the government.
He also said journalism is not an ordinary profession. State, politics, political philosophy and mass people are also related with the profession, he added.
Mozammel Hossain, deputy editor of the Shamokal, stressed the need for forming a legal structure for practicing independent journalism and said, “Without establishing citizens' rights, it is impossible to establish freedom of press.”
He said illegal investment in the media industry is also an obstruction to its expansion.
He added that due to the state of emergency the media industry has been facing a number of crises.
“With a significant rise in people's monthly expenditure, sale of newspaper has decreased. Price of newspaper has been increased and field of advertisement has been squeezed since the emergency was imposed,” he added.
Noted journalist Zayadul Ahsan Pintu said the sate of emergency and journalism are two contradictory words and these two cannot go together.
He recalled some of his experiences from his professional life that how the state of emergency hinders independent journalism and imposes censorship on media.
He also said high-ups in the media houses should be united to overcome the invisible censorship on the media industry to preserve the dignity of professional journalism.
“The existing social and political structure has set independent journalism as a rival to the state. So, a change in social and political structure is a must to address the crisis. Otherwise, press freedom is impossible,” said Associate Prof Mafijur Rahman of MCJ department.
AP Bureau Chief Farid Hossain alleged that neither under emergency rule nor during the regime of democratic governments journalism enjoyed freedom in the country.
“There had always been a border that the journalists are not allowed to cross,” he added.
Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, head of news at ATN Bangla, said the political cultural has brought the country under the state of emergency following 1/11.
Prof Arefin alleged that basic and constitutional rights of people are being violated under the state of emergency and demanded the government lifts the emergency.
Editor of the Observer Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Assistant Editor of the Jugantar Sohrab Hossain, MCJ department Associate Professor Robayet Ferdous, Dr Abul Mansur and singer Mahmuduzzaman Babu also spoke.
Comments