Humans are not angels. No human being is beyond criticism. The system of feedback has developed as a means to push forward the performance of an individual, organization and state. The colleagues give feedback to officials and professionals, senior officials, customers and beneficiaries give feedback to organizations and opposition gives feedback to the government of a county. We don't have opposition in our National Assembly in the true sense of the term. A government does many welfare activities, tries to do them with every good intention but they may not be exposed or implemented as per the intention. Hence to put them in right practice, feedback becomes necessary and it must come from a third party. Our media plays that role. And a general belief and sense has rightly been established that our media has been playing this role almost successfully. We believe that media also needs feedback but that must not be through the fetters like such policy.
Despite criticism from different quarters including the media, the government on 07 August 2014 published a gazette on the' National Broadcast Policy 2014' without any major change. A total of five hundred copies of the gazette have been printed and many copies were distributed to the media and to the owners of the different television channels and radio stations. The government formulated the comprehensive policy as per the guidance of the country's constitution and two different laws as claimed by the government. The policy has seven chapters. The first chapter tells us background, goals, aims and ways for implementation of the broadcasting policy. The procedure of getting a licence has been mentioned in the second chapter while the third chapter contains a specific guideline for news and programs. The fourth chapter covers the guideline for publishing advertisement and as per the guideline any advertisement should uphold consumer rights and lay emphasis on quality of products. Advertisements should be in line with the script of independence, culture and ensuring the rights of women and children. The fifth chapter deals with the contents which should be aired while the sixth one is about the broadcasting commission. The last chapter talks about the functioning of law until setting up of the commission. The cabinet secretary says: "The news or programs which will hurt privacy, state security and hurt religious values and communal spirit will not be allowed to broadcast. A news item which can encourage mutiny, anarchy and violence as well as inspire corruption directly or indirectly must be avoided." Does any of our channels commit this sort of crime? If not, why does this question come? This policy has been formulated to ensure freedom of speech, free flow of information and social responsibility. Does it not sound contradictory? Our media is struggling to enjoy free flow of information and the new policy is going to strangle it.
A faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists staged rally in the capital protesting the move and threatened to wage countrywide movement. The Association of TV Channel Owners has called for a meeting to review the policy. AL leaders say National Broadcast Policy 2014 was approved by cabinet with the provision of banning any broadcast that would demean the armed forces or law enforcement agencies. A section of journalists demanded cancellation of National Broadcast Policy to gag the media and curtail the freedom of expression. The policy will encourage heinous crime by law enforcement agencies. It will endanger the lives and property of people and free law enforcers from accountability. BNP said that the government had formulated the policy in a bid to control and repress media. Although its name is broadcast policy, it's rather a policy to control and suppress broadcast media in terms of their objectivity and effectiveness. It keeps enormous scope for government to misuse the policy in the name of maintaining standard of news and other programs in the electronic media. The more dreadful fact is that the information ministry will exercise the power of the broadcast commission until it is formed. It implies that all the private television channels are going to be under the full control of the government. The AL in 1973 had curbed journalists' freedom by enacting the press and publications advertisement. The party has also harassed many newsmen under the Special Powers Act in 1974. The cabinet on 04 August 2014 approved the draft National Broadcast Policy 2014. The government move to strictly monitor and regulate the media will ultimately turn out to be a Sword of Damocles hanging over it.
"Everyone in the electronic media and those who attend the talks shows, discussions will be under pressure thinking that somebody up the ranks is monitoring this," said Shykh Siraj, director of the private TV station Channel i and general secretary of the Association of TV Channel Owners. He hoped that the thriving mass media would not go backward due to the policy. Both country and the government will be benefited if the media flourish further. Such a policy is an ill attempt to lay the hands and legs of the country's private channel and radio stations. Thomas Jefferson's famous words, "Where the press is free, and everyman is able to read, all is safe." Doesn't our government want that we should be safe? We simply cannot agree. "If a policeman engages in corruption, if policeman tortures a detainee to death, if a solider does thing he should not be doing, if a journalist blackmails citizens, if a civil servant lives beyond his means, should these acts not be brought before the national through media? And will that exposure of misdeeds be considered an attempt to provoke social disorder?" Badrul Ahsan of the Daily Star said in his editorial of 06 August. About the print media Ben Franklin said that if all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printing. Some of the TV channels have been highly critical of the government of the day. And that is the job of the media, which, according to Orwell, is to oppose and criticize. We must understand this simple truth: if there is no water, we will have no fish. When fish cannot live without water, can we live as a civilized nation without having press freedom?
The writer is Program Manager: BRAC Education Program and Vice-President: Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (BELTA). Email: [email protected]
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