Editorial
Media in vulnerable state
The portents are worrying
Only yesterday we commented in these columns on the draft broadcasting policy formulated by the government, arguing that such a policy would be retrogressive and counter-productive. We feel that pressure of various sorts being put on the media is a reflection of abrasive behaviour on the part of the powers that be as well as their supporters.
A couple of days ago, journalists were unceremoniously and humiliatingly made to leave a meeting to which they had been invited by Minister of Communications Syed Abul Hossain. Bizarrely, it was Minister for Shipping Shahjahan Khan and Minister of State for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku who rudely asked the media people to leave. That begs the question: since he had asked the media people to be present, why did the communications minister stay silent when the journalists were shown the door? A week ago, a television journalist's car was vandalized moments after he had spoken firmly on the need to take measures against road accidents.
These instances, together with the fact that all too often journalists are frequently taken to task over reports of corruption, are a sad sign of what could come to pass if attitudes do not change not only among the powers that be but also among those engaged in the pursuit of politics and in the administration. Outside the capital, there are recurring reports of how media people at the local level are often made the target of wrath by elements unhappy with reports of corruption and other forms of questionable behaviour. As if to add to their discomfort, journalists often face harassment through cases being filed by individuals and the resultant vigour with which the law enforcers pursue such cases. In other words, intimidation is often a weapon applied to silence media people serious about their professionalism.
We urge the authorities to step back and reflect on the negativism such onslaughts on the media have been generating. It is no exaggeration to say that journalists are becoming an endangered species in the country today. The sooner sanity is restored, the sooner the realisation dawns that media freedom must not be undermined, the better will democracy be served.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments