Concern over bid to dictate media
Editors of print and electronic media and senior journalists yesterday expressed concern over the increasing pressure on the media regarding freedom of expression under the state of emergency, reports BBC Bangla Service.
“The editors and senior journalists said it is tough to work independently under the state of emergency,” said the BBC report broadcast at 7:30pm yesterday.
“The editors of different newspapers told a joint meeting that the situation has become intolerable and it must be resisted unitedly,” reported BBC without mentioning the meeting place.
“The senior journalists will wait for the Chief Adviser's (CA) address to the nation before taking any step,” it said.
“The speakers alleged that a military intelligence agency is increasing pressure on newspapers day by day,' BBC added.
Two news editors of TV channels said they have become fed-up with the increased pressure put on them in the last few weeks.
They said they were given instructions over the telephone about which news will be broadcast and which will not, BBC said adding that they are also given instructions about who will attend talk shows in the television channels.
The government is now forcing them to broadcast its publicity programme.
Nurul Kabir, editor of The New Age, told the BBC, “An intelligence agency of the armed forces has started giving instructions to editors of different newspapers and television channels regularly about which news will be published or broadcast and which will not.”
“They cannot take any decision independently. We are informed that if they refuse to follow the instructions they will have to pay the price,” he said.
Commenting on the problems he faces in presenting a newspaper review programme, Editor of the daily Manabzamin Matiur Rahman Chowdhury said, “Instructions are given about who can be invited to the newspaper review programme. Sometimes we are instructed that the invited guest should not be allowed to attend the programme only 30 minutes before the show starts. I have been experiencing such embarrassing situation every day,” he said.
Alamgir Mahiuddin, the editor of the daily Naya Diganta, alleged that three journalists of the newspaper working outside the capital had been harassed during the state of emergency.
The editors reached a consensus that they would make a unanimous announcement of rejecting all the instructions given by the government intelligence agency.
But, they would wait for the CA's address to the nation before taking any decision on the issue.
“We want to listen to his (CA) speech first. We want to know whether the state of emergency will be relaxed or not. We shall look for solutions to the problems we are facing right now,” said Ataus Samad, editor of the daily Amar Desh.
“We shall sit again tomorrow and make a decision after examining possible solutions to our problems,” he added.
The BBC also reported that 'the time of the meeting will be announced later.’
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