Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus receives a report of the Media Reform Commission headed by senior journalist Kamal Ahmed at the State Guest House Jamuna in the capital on Saturday. — PID
Institutional and legal reforms, 'diffusion of ownership', journalists' protection and removal of irregularities in government incentives are principally recommended by the media-reform commission for ensuring a vibrant, free press regime in Bangladesh.
As the eleven-member Media Reform Commission Saturday rolled out 20 recommendations, Chief Adviser of the post-uprising government Professor Muhammad Yunus said the interim government will take initiative to carry out those proposals of the commission which are immediately implementable
The commission, led by senior journalist Kamal Ahmed, handed over the report to the chief adviser at the state guesthouse Jamuna, stating that the recommendations are meant for upgrading the press from a miasma of problems accumulated over time.
?The head of government told the commission members that his government wants to execute forthwith those of the proposals which can be implemented right now. "So, I want the Reform Commission to quickly and separately present the recommendations to us that need to be accomplished immediately or can be implemented quickly."
The media-reform commission, one of several commissions constituted after the August-5th changeover for recommending an avowed major overhaul of the statecraft, proposed diffusion of media ownership, arguing that under the present situation a single group or entity can own several media outlets that creates "scope for media manipulation in a big way".
The panel suggests distribution of shares of big and mid-level media houses among the journalists of the respective houses and the public through stock exchange to ensure accountability and to decentralise the controlling power by way of preventing over-concentration of media ownership.
It urges the government to cancel cross-ownership so a single group or entity cannot be owner of both newspaper and television.
The commission has prescribed repealing the draconian laws and rules which are used as an instrument to curb media freedom and to harass journalists.
Also recommended is the formation of an independent Media Commission through merging the Press Council and the proposed Broadcasting Commission.
This Media Commission will regulate media-house activities, including determining the eligibility of editors and journalists, the report proposes, adding that convicted persons and loan defaulters cannot be appointed editor.
This Commission will also dispose of the complaints lodged by members of the public who are affected or defamed by media reports.
Also, the Media Reform Commission suggests repealing the clauses of the existing laws like the Cyber Security Act and the Official Secrecy Act 1923 which are often used to curb media freedom and to harass journalists.
It also urged the government to review the cases filed by the previous regime against journalists under the Digital Security Act and Cyber Security Act and to compensate them.
The reform panel also calls for ensuring "transparency and equity" in government advertisement allocation, suggesting that while fixing the advertising tariffs, separate circulation parameters should be considered for vernacular and English-language dailies as English readership is much lower than the Bengali-newspaper readership.
The Media Reform Commission has recommended steps like fixation of starting salary of a journalist equivalent to that of a first-class government officer to ensure financial security of media people.
For revamping the ailing newspaper industry, it has suggested measures like removing irregularities in distributing government advertisements, raising the rate of government advertisement, cut in corporate tax, zero-rated duty on newsprint, and providing loan to the industry on easier terms.
The commission also prescribes several measures to ensure autonomy of Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and suggests that these two institutions along with the state-owned Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) can be merged in one organisation which will be run by an independent board.
It recommends skill development, proper training on fact checking for countering misinformation.
Terming the works of the Media Reform Commission invaluable, Prof Yunus said that the report should be made available to other people, including students of journalism departments in universities, so that they can read it.
After receiving information from the commission that Bangladeshi television channels cannot be viewed abroad as those are forced to use a specific satellite, he said the government will take necessary steps so that the Bangladeshis living abroad and interested foreigners can watch Bangladeshi TV channels.
He said the report was discussed in detail during its handover ceremony.
Prof Yunus wanted to know what reform initiatives should be taken immediately in media.
The other members in the commission Gitiara Nasreen, professor at Department of Mass Communications and Journalism, the University of Dhaka, Shamsul Huq Zahid, editor of The Financial Express, Akhtar Hossain Khan, consultant to the Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB), Syed Abdal Ahmed, former general secretary of the National Press Club, Fahim Ahmed, chief executive officer of Jamuna TV, Jimi Amir, journalist, Mostafa Shabuj, Bogura correspondent for The Daily Star, Titu Datta, deputy editor at The Business Standard, Anjan Chowdhury, President of Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) and Abdullah Al Mamun, a student representative were present at the report handing over event.
Addressing a briefing after the submission of the report, Commission chief Kamal Ahmed said media licenses were given considering the political identity of media owners during the deposed regime.
"Licenses for televisions and newspapers were not given in open and transparent ways. The licenses of online news portals were also not issued in an open and transparent manner. The licenses were given in collusion and based on political identity (of media owners)."
Kamal Ahmed said there was no issue of public interest in issuing media licenses as those were given "considering political identity".
About the media boom in Bangladesh, he said black money was injected into Bangladesh media. "We know those who become owners of media but we do not know how they have become media owners."
Highlighting the works of the Media Reform Commission, Kamal Ahmed said the government formed the commission on November 18 last and it completed its task within 100 days.
In preparing its report, he said, the Commission held meetings with stakeholders, including journalists and media owners, and exchanged views with about 1400 people across the country.
The present state of media was not created in a day, the commission chief said, adding that "the freedom of press and journalists has fallen in a deep crisis due to long malpractice in media".
In this context, he said the commission reviewed the history of Bangladesh journalism and tried to find out the problems the journalists face and solutions to these problems.
"We tried to take lessons from the history and follow the international best practices in journalism," he added.
About the change in media landscape in Bangladesh after the August-5th changeover, Kamal Ahmed said although the Awami League government was toppled, media owners did not change but the leaderships of newsmen were changed.
Observing that there is no accountability of media owners in Bangladesh, he said no media owner disclosed the sources of his or her investment in media.
Referring to the recommendations of the Media Reform Commission, its chief said they recommended the government enact a law to ensure the safety of journalists.
He said the commission suggested establishing a permanent media- reform commission.
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and the commission members were also present at the press briefing.
On November 18, the interim government formed the 11-member Media Reform Commission with an aim to make media independent, stronger and objective.
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