The Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) and the Editors' Council in a joint statement on Wednesday criticised the restriction imposed on journalists' entry into the Bangladesh Bank headquarters.
Both the organisations demanded ensuring free access of financial journalists to the central bank.
They noted that the reporters have failed to enter the central bank headquarters for more than a month which impacts preparation for their report filing.
The financial reporters have been protesting such unwritten restriction but this is yet to be resolved.
Such restriction on journalists goes against independent journalism, democracy, and fundamental and constitutional rights, says the statement signed by Editors' Council president Mahfuz Anam and NOAB president AK Azad.
For more than a month, journalists from various media outlets have not been able to enter Bangladesh Bank to perform their professional duties.
According to media reports, the issue of temporary passes to journalists has been stopped due to an unwritten ban from the top authorities of the country's banking and financial sector regulatory body.
Journalists involved in reporting on the economy have been protesting, but the matter has not been resolved so far, reads the statement.
"The NOAB and the Editors' Council think this decision of Bangladesh Bank is tantamount to taking away the freedom of the media. For the ban, people will be deprived of the right to know the real state of the bank and financial sector as well as the country's economy. On the other hand, it will increase the public's mistrust of the sector. At the same time, it will further encourage irregularities and corruption in the banking and financial sector," it continued.
The statement also said: "The central bank is one of the most important institutions of any country's economy and people's trust. It is necessary to ensure free flow of information to build a sustainable banking sector in the long term and strengthen people's confidence in this sector."
"For the past 53 years after independence, journalists have played a role in ensuring accountability in the banking and financial sector of the country, as well as meeting the public's information needs through free access to the central bank and gathering information," it added.
The organisations said that they have read out the speech of Mr Mezbaul Haque, spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank, which is tantamount to the restriction on journalists.
"Journalists will only be able to visit the spokesperson and other officials of the bank at its building through using a specific permit issued by the bank" the BB spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The spokesperson said: "If an officer gives passes to journalists, then only that officer can be met. However, journalists will not be able to enter any department of the central bank freely as before."
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