A new formula will be figured out to get the actual circulation number of a newspaper, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat has said.

The information and broadcasting ministry has not been distributing supplements according to the list published by the Department of Films and Publications (DFP) since January 2024, the state minister for information and broadcasting said at the unveiling ceremony of “BSRF Barta” published by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the secretariat’s media centre on Thursday.

Responding to a question about DFP’s list of newspapers’ circulation numbers, Arafat said, “I am already working on this matter, which is a bit complicated. It is a complex issue due to the fact that there are some faults in the formula used to calculate the circulation numbers. It can be manipulated.”

He said, “I am not following the DFP’s list to give the supplements we distribute from the ministry. I have made a list through special sources. That gives me a fairly accurate picture of the circulation, on the basis of which I now make decisions.”

Arafat also said, “I will sit with those who work on circulation. We will fine tune the formula to know the true circulation numbers. Not just the number of papers printed, we will figure out a formula to get the number of papers sold, where there will be no room for manipulation. I am trying to bring a kind of clarity and objectivity everywhere.”

The state minister for information and broadcasting further said, “60-70% decisions are taken on the basis of circulation for distributing supplements, because the government has a stake here. I want these to reach most of the people.

“Some newspapers have circulation challenges but they have a long tradition. Renowned editors work there. They have their own history, heritage and branding.  I have given supplements after scrutinising and balancing these factors, not on the recommendation of any person. If there were recommendations, I took it, pondered it, but at the end of the day I applied my formula.”