Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman has said the government is working to rebuild a strong, independent and vibrant media in the country.
“The government does not want any conflict with the media. It is working to rebuild a strong, independent and vibrant media system,” he said at a dialogue at MIDAS Centre in Dhaka.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Bangladesh and Transparency International Bangladesh jointly organised the event marking World Press Freedom Day.
He said the government welcomes constructive criticism and sees media freedom as essential for a democratically elected government.
“Media should continue to strongly carry out constructive criticism of the government,” he said adding Bangladesh will perform better in terms of media and press freedom in future.
About bringing reforms in the state-run broadcaster BTV, Zahed said, “We expect a different kind of BTV.”
He said the issue of Bangladesh Television (BTV) has been discussed with the Prime Minister, and he also shares similar views.”
Highlighting the importance of media literacy at the school level, he said it is crucial to include media literacy in the school curriculum.
Discussions have already taken place with the Ministry of Education, and work is ongoing, he said adding that NGOs have also been engaged so that their programs on media literacy can reach schoolchildren.
Referring to the Dhaka-centric NGO activities, he said that there is a tendency to focus too much on Dhaka, whereas the lack of media literacy is most evident in remote areas.
Zahed said the government is seeking partnership in this regard and urged relevant organizations to focus more on remote regions.
He also noted that disinformation is being spread even in mainstream media through photo cards. “Although social media lacks editorial policies, now even mainstream media is showing a tendency to spread misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation through photo cards. I myself have been a victim of this, with false information spread about me,” he said.
Regarding the government decision to frame a policy on minimum academic qualification of the professional journalists, Zahed said the government may formulate a policy, but it will not be imposed.
He acknowledged that many distinguished editors and senior journalists in the country have succeeded without formal academic backgrounds in journalism.
He also mentioned that the government will soon meet with the Media Reforms Commission and try to implement recommendations of the commission which can be executed quickly.
