Bangladesh Nationalist Party Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Saturday said that their party will form a commission to ensure free and transparent journalism if it returns to power.
鈥楯ournalism in Bangladesh was completely devastated during the fascist era. BNP鈥檚 acting chairman Tarique Rahman has always been vocal in favour of independent journalism. A commission will be formed in the future to ensure press freedom,鈥� he said.
Speaking at a seminar titled 鈥楯ournalism during fascist regime and present situation鈥� at Dhaka Reporters Unity, he alleged that the ruling Awami League had destroyed journalism in Bangladesh over the past 15 years.
Khosru mentioned that many journalists were forced to leave the country as they could not survive in the hostile environment, while others abandoned the profession altogether. 鈥業 personally helped a few journalists go abroad since they could not sustain themselves here,鈥� he added.
Stressing the need for a clear division between management and editorial practices in media houses, the BNP leader said, 鈥楯ust as the Hasina government destroyed the state by removing the dividing line between the judiciary, the Election Commission and Parliament, it also destroyed journalism by removing the dividing line between media management and journalists.鈥�
He said that democracy cannot flourish without political democracy, economic democracy and freedom of expression.
Referring to a cartoon of Tarique Rahman drawn after August 5, Khosru said, 鈥業nstead of being angry or critical, Tarique himself shared it and praised the cartoonist. This is what respect for free media and freedom of expression looks like.鈥�
Khosru advised journalists to remain objective in their reporting regardless of their personal political ideals.
