Govt urged to increase ad rate, reduce newsprint cost

Anisur Rahman Khan :
The print media industry where thousands of people are employed has been passing a hard time in recent days as the sector, mired in growing expenses, is grappling to stand and survive.
Most importantly, the lack of unity among the journalists unions has been failing to create pressure on the government jointly to realise the demands and recommendations to keep the industry vibrant.
Taking the advantage of journalists’ disunity, any government can manipulate the industry easily, and now newspapers see a reduction in advertisement, leading to the newspaper houses’ failure to pay timely salaries and other perks for the journalists.
Traditionally the print media is totally dependent on papers to print the news and views for the mass people, but the prices of newsprints that are increasing by leaps and bounds are hampering the smooth journey of the industry.
Apart from unbearable cost of newsprints, there are other expenses including printing cost, transport cost, other materials costs, and salaries for reporters and staff.
To meet the expenses, the newspaper industry is solely dependent on the advertisements from the government and non-government sources.
Once the major destination of the advertisements was the print media, but the expansion of electronic and online as well as other informal media, the volume of advertisements has drastically shrunk for print media.
Without incentives and support, the government has recently slashed the advertisement rate especially for the English newspapers and it has badly hit the print media to survive, journalist leaders told The New Nation.
Against this backdrop, the owners and authorities are failing to ensure regular salaries and other facilities for the journalists and other staff, let alone making any profit.
Journalists of different houses said that they were not getting regular salaries and lives have become difficult for them amid the ongoing skyrocketing price hike of daily essentials. Journalists are failing to pay their house rent.  
The concerned stakeholders said that the print media industry has been limping for a long time without proper attention from the government.
They also said that big corporate houses are now possessing different media including print media and they are coping with the scenario because of their huge investment.
It is also alleged that some business tycoons keep the media to use as a shield to cover up their corruption and malpractices as they use the media against their opponents.
But the owners who genuinely have been using the media as the ‘fourth estate’ to act as a deterrent to corruption and stand by the government’s good initiatives are the worst sufferers to survive as they don’t have any other means to keep the print media afloat.
“Journalists and owners are divided. Journalists have been failing to create pressure on government due to lack of unity. As a result, journalists are accepting government’s sole decision like reduction of advertisement rate,” Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, a senior journalist leader and also Editor of The Daily Observer said.
It is very difficult to survive for the journalists, he said and demanded of the government to increase the government’s advertisement rate reducing the cost of newsprints for the survival of the newspaper industries.
He also opined that journalists and owners should create pressure on the government to increase the advertisement rate.
“In reality, many newspaper houses are not implementing wage board. Even many houses are also firing journalists for failing to pay salaries,” Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury said.  
It’s a big threat for the newspaper industries that many corporate houses are publishing the newspapers, he said, adding “It is nothing but whitening the black money. Besides, they have other motives also as they are using the newspapers as a weapon.”
“Why they (corporate houses) are investing in the newspaper industries despite knowing that the sector is not profitable?” he questioned.
Journalist leader Shawkat Mahmud criticised the government for reducing the rate of advertisement.
“Government advertisements are given for the welfare of the journalists. So, the government will have to increase the advertisement rate considering the journalists welfare. Besides, cost of newsprints and other related accessories of the newspapers have also been reduced,” he said.
He also demanded of the government to introduce pension scheme for the journalists.
“For the sake of the dignity of the journalist profession, everybody will have to be united. The character of corporate business is to create division. Many big corporate houses are publishing newspapers. As a result, journalists are failing to create pressure on the government. When all the journalists will be united only then it is possible to create pressure on the government to meet the demands,” Molla Jalal, a journalist leader, told The New Nation.
Journalists are working for the people, not for the purpose of any individual, he said, adding “Journalists are passing very bad days as the government is not giving any incentive to them. Even, the wage board is also not being implemented considering the economic constraint.”
He also said, “Journalists may have political differences, but, above all, we have to be united for the survival of the community.”
The Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) is also sitting with the government at various levels to press home their demands, but they said they are not getting significant results for the survival of the industry.
On December 3 last year, they expressed deep concern over the deepening crisis facing the newspaper industry.
Expressing fears and worries over the future of the newspaper industry owing to abnormal rise in prices of materials both imported and locally manufactured, NOAB members have urged the government to reduce or waive various duties and taxes levied on the industry, but to no avail so far.