Speakers at an event marking the first anniversary TIMES of Bangladesh in Rajshahi have stressed that there is no alternative to objective and responsible journalism in serving the public interest.
They said the media is not merely a platform for publishing news but an important institution that reflects society’s realities and highlights issues concerning public interest.
A news organisation earns public trust through objectivity, professionalism and responsible journalism, they said.
The speakers expressed hope that TIMES of Bangladesh would play a more information-driven, impartial and responsible role in news reporting in the days ahead.
The event was held at the conference room of Amana Food Ville in Rajshahi city on Thursday afternoon.
The programme was chaired by Muhammad Abdul Awal, Rajshahi Bureau Chief of TIMES of Bangladesh and president of the Rajshahi Journalists Union (RJU), and moderated by Mahbub Hossain, Rajshahi divisional bureau chief of Daily Kalbela.
Among the guests were Iftikharul Alam Masud, professor of the Department of Arabic; Gaziur Rahman, deputy commissioner (CTTC) and spokesperson of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP); Sabina Yasmin, spokesperson of Rajshahi District Police and additional superintendent of police (DSB); Dr Najib Wadud, chief editor of Daily Rajshahi Sangbad and former president of RJU; and Hasan Millat, editor of Daily Sonar Desh.
Other guests included Ahsan Habib Opu, general secretary of Rajshahi Editors Forum; Sh.M. Saju, president of Rajshahi Television Journalists Association; Dalim Hossain Shanto, general secretary of RJU; Saiful Islam, acting editor of Daily Sunshine; Yakub Shikdar, editor and publisher of Daily Gandhony Protidin; Sohel Mahbub, editor of Daily Natun Provat; Enayet Karim, editor of Daily Uttara Protidin; Advocate Rajab Ali, president of Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club; and Huzaifa and Tuhin Ali, convener and member secretary respectively of Reporters of Online and Multimedia Organisation (ROMO).
Speakers said rapid technological changes and social media have accelerated news dissemination, but journalists must not compromise information verification, source reliability or professional ethics in the race to publish quickly.
They also stressed that media freedom must be accompanied by responsibility, with public interest prioritised over the interests of individuals, institutions or groups.
Balanced reporting and preventing misinformation and rumours also require greater vigilance, they said.
The speakers congratulated the newspaper’s journalists, officials, employees and others involved with the organisation on its first anniversary.
At the end of the programme, Muhammad Abdul Awal was greeted with flowers by the Administrator of Rajshahi City Corporation, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police and Rajshahi District Police. Leaders of the Rajshahi Journalists Union, Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club, Rajshahi Editors Forum, Rajshahi TV Journalists Association and Reporters of Online and Multimedia Organisation also greeted him with flowers.
