‘We want a safe cyberspace as well but don’t want our voices to be muzzled’
UNB: It is high time the judiciary revisited and amended the discriminatory and oppressive laws against journalists, says the Editors Council.
“There are a few laws such as the Digital Security Act, Contempt of Courts Act, and Official Secrets Act which neither help create a safe cyber nor protect journalists. Instead, these laws are being used to muzzle journalists,” said Editors Council President and The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam.
He was speaking at a discussion organized by the Editor’s Council on the achievements and challenges of the news media held at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in the capital on Saturday.
“We want a safe cyberspace as well but we do not want our voices to be muzzled,” he said.
“Journalists are protected by the constitution. Our profession is important because our job is to defend human rights and the public interest,” he added.
Mahfuz Anam suggested that the “reasonable restrictions” imposed on journalism should be clearly defined and interpreted and laws to protect sources and whistleblowers should be enacted.
Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan, while addressing the event, said the room for freedom of expression is shrinking in the newsrooms and the financial picture is also challenging.
“A newspaper is not getting enough advertisement and online advertisements are not making up for it either,” he said.
The importance of unity among journalists was also stressed by him.
Syed Manzoorul Islam, literary critic and a former professor of Dhaka University, said that despite the fact that there are many journalist associations, the lack of unity among them is the major impediment towards fighting for journalists’ rights and freedom of expression.
“The news media should not protect the interests of individuals or organizations. It should just write what is,” he said.
Creating sensible readers will help prevent hateful comments under news links on social media, he added.
Honorary Professor Dr Sakhawat Ali Khan of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University had also joined the discussion virtually.
He said, the number of women entering journalism is increasing, which is very commendable.
Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta said a press council should not exist if they refuse to do their job and remain silent when press freedom is at stake.
There are 502 dailies published in Dhaka and 777 others outside the city. But the question remains whether they are in good hands.
“There should be specific guidelines about who can own a newspaper,” he suggested.
Editor of The New Age Nurul Kabir said in the history of Bangladesh, a number of newspapers have battled with the authorities and they are still struggling to this day.
Acting editor of Samakal Mustafiz Shafi stated that the Digital Security Act poses a new threat to journalists, and journalists must work together in order to overcome the threat.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence, the program was chaired by Mahfuz Anam and conducted by Dewan Hanif Mahmud, acting general secretary of Editors Council.
