EC forms body to finalise media code of conduct

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The Election Commission (EC) will finalise a code of conduct for the mass media with suggestions from media personalities for the objective coverage of news during the upcoming elections, reports UNB.
The EC has already formed a committee comprising senior journalists both from print and electronic media to make suggestions for finalising the guidelines for the media.
UNESCO provided a draft copy of the media code of conduct to the Commission.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda constituted the four-member committee headed by ATN Bangla Chief Adviser Saiful Bari in a views-exchange meeting with representatives from both print and electronic media at NEC auditorium Saturday.
The other members of the committee are senior journalists Shaikh Siraj, Amir Khasru, JI Mamun and EC Public Relations Officer SM Asaduzzaman.
The CEC asked the committee to submit their suggestions within seven days to the Election Commission to finalise the code of conduct for the media.
Dr Huda sought cooperation from newsmen as some senior journalists termed the EC's efforts of formulating such a code of conduct a ploy to control the press. The CEC said the political parties placed a proposal before the EC during their talks to formulate a code of conduct to ensure neutrality and transparency in election news coverage.
"The EC wants to finalise the code of conduct after discussion with senior journalists," he said affirming that the EC had been conducting its activities as per the constitution.
Election commissioners M Sohul Hussain and M Sakhawat Hossain and EC secretary M Humayun Kabir were present at the meeting.