Stakeholders working together to protect media interests: Information minister

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon on Friday said the government is working with journalists and media owners to protect the interests of the media.

“There is no form of government’s control on media. Rather, journalists, owners and the government are jointly working to build an independent, responsible and economically sustainable media system," he said.

The minister made the remarks at a seminar titled "Role of Media in Sustainable Democracy" organised by the Television Editors Council (TEC) at a hotel in the capital on Friday.

LGRD minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended the seminar as the chief guest.

Swapon said the government wants to create a media ecosystem where a balance will be established among the interests of media owners, journalists, advertisers, the state and the people, ensuring that journalists can perform their professional duties independently and get their due dignity and economic security.

Saying that democracy and media are complementary to each other, Swapon said, “While an independent and responsible media is essential for establishing sustainable democracy, democracy becomes stronger through the establishment of an independent and responsible media.

The minister urged all concerned to consider the media not merely as a business institution, but as one of the most important pillars of the state and society saying journalism and the media industry are different from any other sector.

“Media is an unannounced yet inevitable fourth pillar of the state and society. Therefore, ensuring the professional independence, dignity and security of journalists is an important responsibility of the state,” he said.

However, the economic foundation of the media industry must also be strengthened to achieve that goal, he said adding that media industry would not be sustainable if owners do not receive a fair business environment and reasonable profits.

The minister said the current media ecosystem has become more complex with the integration of digital platforms, global technology companies and artificial intelligence with traditional media. He stressed the need for future-oriented policies and institutional reforms considering this changing reality.

Swapon said the media should not be brought under control but rather within a regulatory framework, so that the fair rights of all stakeholders are ensured.

He said without good governance and effective regulatory system, there could be a tendency in some cases to use the media as a tool for business interests or bargaining. He described such tendencies as harmful to the independence and credibility of the media.

The information minister called upon all stakeholders to work together to utilise the new opportunity created for state and institutional reforms under the leadership of Tarique Rahman after the July mass uprising and the last national election, including in the media sector.

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Independent Television Chief News Editor Mostofa Akmal presented the keynote paper at the seminar chaired by TEC Convener and BanglaVision Chief Editor Dr Abdul Hai Siddique.

Principal Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmed, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam, Protidiner Bangladesh Editor Maruf Kamal Khan, National Press Club President Hasan Hafiz, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury and Daily Waadaa Editor Shafiqul Alam addressed the seminar, among others.

Television Editors Council Member Secretary and Somoy Television CEO Zubayer Babu delivered the welcome speech.