A group of journalists from different local and international media outlets on Saturday demanded a platform without political party affiliation for ensuring an environment of freedom of the press.
They came up with the demand at a view exchange meeting at Dhaka Reporters Unity organised by the Media Reform Initiative, an initiative of journalists to ensure democratic reform of the media.
Journalists Ariful Sazzad and Ahammad Foyez, on behalf of the platform, placed a 13-point demand at the meeting.
The demands included ensuring justice for the journalists killed during the recent student-led mass uprising and giving compensation to the affected media offices and workers.
They also demanded immediate reopening of closed media houses that were illegally shut down during Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 autocratic regime of the past 15 years.
They also demanded that media owners and executives who made the media a political tool should be investigated and brought to justice.
Their other demands included formulation of a uniform wage board for mass media people, implementation of the ninth Wage Board immediately, and providing dividends as per the labour law.
They said that the trend of undemocratic grabbing of media houses in emerging situations and times must be stopped immediately, and all levels of intimidation of media workers must stop.
A high-level commission should be constituted for reforming general issues, including the mode of media management, they said, adding that all restrictive laws against media and freedom of expression must be repealed.
All cases filed against media people under the ICT, the Digital Security Act, and the Cyber Security Act should be withdrawn, they also demanded.
Their demands also included ensuring justice for the killing of all journalists, including journalist couple Sagar-Runi, and prosecuting the people involved in the forced disappearance, torture, and harassment of journalists at different times and places.
The journalists also said that journalism was seriously affected due to the party-backed journalist unions in Bangladesh.
Divided journalist unions have long failed to protect the interests of the media and journalists as various interest groups are taking advantage of this, they said.
The journalists said that the journalist society would not be freed from existing journalist organisations that were affiliated with political parties.
Columnist Altaf Parvez said that journalists were used as political tools and many had incited the mass killings during the student movement.
He called on all to fight against corporate interests, party-affiliated journalist organisations and their own greed and bias.
At least 80 journalists form different newspapers, television channels and online news portals were present at the view exchange meeting.