Special Correspondent :
The newspaper industry is currently grappling with severe financial challenges, hindering its ability to sustain publications and pay journalists’ salaries due to the non-payment of outstanding advertising bills.
Editors and publishers have appealed for government intervention and cooperation, particularly from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the state minister for Information, to help sustain the newspaper industry.
It has come to light that more than 700 media-listed newspapers in the country are owed approximately Tk 2,500 crore for advertising bills from government agencies, including the Department of Films and Publications (DFP).
An estimated Tk 5,000 crore is needed to clear these outstanding bills and cover bills for the next financial year to ensure the viability of the newspaper industry.
Journalists’ leaders have noted that newspaper advertisement bills were previously settled every three months.
However, arrears have now reached around Tk 2,500 crore. Timely payment of these outstanding advertising bills would significantly alleviate the financial pressures faced by journalists, particularly amidst high inflation.
“We had requested former Information Minister Hasan Mahmud to take measures to release arrear advertisement bills. He promised to clear it, but it didn’t happen,”
said Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Editor of The Daily Observer, in an interview with The New Nation on Thursday.
When asked about any plans to meet with government agencies, Chowdhury replied, “We have a scheduled meeting on June 2 with the State Minister for Information. We will raise the issue before the minister during the meeting to address the outstanding advertisement bills.
“It would be helpful for the journalists if the outstanding bills are paid, he observed.
Leaders of the Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) will meet the State Minister for Information on June 2 to discuss these issues, according to Chowdhury.
Earlier, on May 11, the Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Shilpa Parishad (BSSP) placed a 14-point demand, including the payment of all outstanding advertisement bills owed by newspapers to government agencies, including the DFP, by next June.
If these demands are not met, the leaders of BSSP and publishers have warned of initiating a systematic movement to realize their demands starting in July.
However, the DFP has been delaying the disbursement of the advertisement outstanding bills due to a bar issued by the Finance Ministry.
An anonymous DFP official mentioned that they could release the advertisement outstanding bills in phases if the Finance Ministry issued a letter in this regard.
Journalists have requested the Finance Minister to issue a letter to the DFP for clearing advertisement outstanding bills immediately, considering the economic crisis and the severe impact of high inflation on journalists.