City Desk :
Speakers at a roundtable discussion on Sunday underscored the need for reformation of media to promote free and fair journalism and protect press freedom.
In the roundtable discussion titled- ‘Dialogue for Democratic Reconstruction-Focusing on Mass Media’, they called for formulating a standard media regulation based on the opinions of professional journalists, academics, professionals, civil society members and social thinkers.
Although the country has significant number of print and broadcast media but they failed to play any role in promoting fair journalism and protecting democracy in the post independence era in Bangladesh, they said, reports BSS.
Center for Governance Studies (CGS) organized the roundtable at CIRDAP auditorium to make necessary recommendations for reformation of the media.
Speakers said taking advantages of the ownership of media houses many people were engaged in deceptive practices particularly over the last 15 years to make money. They have enjoyed all unethical advantages and became mafia by keeping close connection with the ruling party.
Taking part in the discussion Chief Adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam said the aim of the present government is to bring a reform in the media as they could not play their due role in promoting objective journalism in the last fifteen years.
“So, reformation is very crucial to identify the failure of the media aimed at protecting the rights of the media people,” he said adding over the last fifteen years media went against all journalistic ethics to legitimize the human rights violation and extra judicial killings.
Terming the reformation a unique opportunity, Alam said, “It is a rare opportunity for us as the country needs to evaluate the quality of journalism as mushrooming growth of media has jeopardized the quality of Journalism, depriving the genuine qualified journalists from their rights.
Talking about media reformation, Chief of the Media Reform Commission Kamal Ahmed said, “Main objective of the reformation should be ensuring smooth functioning of the mass media which was literally impossible during the past fifteen years. The reformation also will recommend for scrapping all laws detrimental to press freedom, he said.
The media reform commission will look into the matter whether the media both in public and private sectors have performed properly over the last fifteen years according to their mandate, he said, adding that the commission will also see for better performance of the media in future.
The commission will conduct a first ever survey in the country on 48,000 people to review their opinion on the necessity of the media, he said.
