Govt working in formulating ordinance to protect journalists’ rights: Mahfuj
Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md. Mahfuj Alam today said the government is working sincerely in formulating an ordinance aimed at safeguarding the rights of journalists.
He said this while addressing a discussion on formation of newspaper wage board and formulating an ordinance to protect the rights of journalists at Tathya Bhaban in the capital.
Mahfuj also expressed the hope that it would be possible to formulate this ordinance during the tenure of the current interim government.
He said the government is reviewing various aspects of the draft ordinance to protect the rights of journalism proposed by the Media Reform Commission.
The adviser said it is necessary to take the opinions of the relevant stakeholders before finalizing the draft ordinance.
He called upon the journalist organizations and media houses to submit written opinions and proposals on this issue within the next 10 days.
Regarding the newspaper wage board, Mahfuj said multiple ministries are involved in the implementation of the wage board.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is working to resolve the obstacles in the implementation of the wage board, he added.
He called upon all concerned to submit specific proposals on what needs to be done to implement the wage board. He underscored the need for eliminating the inconsistency in the circulation of newspapers.
Stating that the rate of advertisements in newspapers will be increased, the adviser said that the ministry has already taken initiatives to pay the arrears in the advertising sector.
He said that during the previous government's tenure, the arrears in the advertising sector were Taka 75 crore. Currently, the arrears are Taka 36 crore, he said adding the ministry is working to pay these arrears in the advertising sector.
Emphasizing on increasing the salaries of journalists, he said that if journalists can be ensured good salaries, many problems existing in the media will be solved.
He called upon the media houses to increase the salaries of journalists to a reasonable level.
Journalist leaders participating in the discussion said that journalists are being considered as workers under the existing law. Journalists no longer want to remain as workers, they said. They opined keeping the authority of journalists' interests in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting only, instead of keeping it in multiple ministries.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mahbuba Farjana, Principal Information Officer (PIO) Md. Nizamul Kabir, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Managing Director and Chief Editor Mahbub Morshed, Department of Films and Publications’ Director General Khaleda Begum, Press Institute Bangladesh Director General Faruk Wasif, Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust Managing Director Mohammad Abdullah, Jatiya Press Club President Hasan Hafiz, BFUJ acting President Obaidur Rahman Shahin, Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury, Dhaka Union of Journalists President (DUJ) Shahidul Islam, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) General Secretary Mynul Hasan Sohel, and representatives of various ministries and journalists were present at the discussion.