Journos have to be bold in duty Fakhrul
Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said journalists have to be more courageous in their professional duty. They also have to be committed on their professional ethics and dignity.
The BNP leader said internal divisions among journalists ultimately push them into the hands of politicians.
He reaffirmed that his party is committed to ensuring a free and independent media environment if it is elected in the upcoming national polls.
“At the very outset, let me make it clear: in our 31-point outline we explicitly committed to building an independent and free media.
That’s why we pledged to form a dedicated commission for media reform,” Fakhrul said at a views-exchange meeting.
The programme, titled Consultation on Media Reform, was organised by the Broadcast Journalist Centre (BJC) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
Mirza Fakhrul said although the interim government had formed a media reform commission, the commission’s report has never been publicly discussed.
The BNP leader promised that a future BNP government would prioritise this issue.
He pointed out that journalist organisations like BFUJ and DUJ are themselves divided along political lines. “You have split into factions aligned with the two major political parties. In doing so, you end up becoming partisan,” he remarked.
Fakhrul said political parties do not want journalists to serve partisan interests, but problems arise when journalists voluntarily allow themselves to be used.
“Over the past 15 years, many among you, willingly and on your own initiative, have supported fascism. We have seen it – and the people have seen it,” he added.
He stressed that journalists must commit to staying above political influence and uphold professional ethics to practice truly independent journalism.
Fakhrul said most panelists focused on issues related to media freedom and journalist protection. “It appears to me that whether we discuss journalism, education, or independent media – everything ultimately depends on the fundamental structure of the state.”
He said that during the country’s transition from a fascist system to a democratic one, extensive discussions took place and several commissions were formed.
“At that time, the question of media freedom, particularly in broadcast media, became crucial. But my argument is that the media cannot be treated as an isolated island.
The country’s structure, the government, the opposition, and journalists – everything is interconnected. Without a sincere desire for reform, I don’t know how effective any reform efforts can truly be.”
He said the BJC’s recommendations include a separate broadcast media law, a national broadcast commission, a wage board, job security, recognition of TV channels as an industry, declaring all channels as pay channels, and clearer rules regarding licensing and ownership, alongside a code of ethics and political commitments for broadcasters.
“If the people elect us to form the government, your proposals will be treated as a priority,” he assured.
Fakhrul recalled that during the imposition of the one-party Baksal system in 1975, all but four newspapers were shut down, and those that remained operated under strict state control.
In contrast, he said, when BNP founder Ziaur Rahman assumed leadership, he established the foundation for a free and independent press, enabling numerous newspapers to operate without restrictions.
He added that whenever the BNP governed, it introduced measures to modernise the media sector. “The developments that eventually led to the proliferation of today’s television channels also began during that period,” he said.