Broadcast policy criticism unfounded: Inu

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu has said the government's new broadcast policy has been designed for the 'welfare', and not the suppression, of the media.

The minister spoke to the press on Monday in an effort to counter criticisms by different quarters including the BNP.

The controversy began after the Cabinet approved the National Broadcast Policy 2014 and a gazette was issued later.

"The broadcast policy is a guideline. This is not a law. There are no punitive measures in the policy," he said.

"Therefore, the claim that the policy intends to stifle the media is completely baseless and imaginary."

The policy had been designed to ensure good governance and human rights by bringing transparency and accountability to the broadcast media, he said.

"All of its sections are beneficial to the media," Inu maintained.

The Cabinet, on Aug 4, approved the broadcast policy, which prohibits television and radio from broadcasting any news that may ‘taint the image of the country’s law keepers and the armed forces’.

A gazette was issued on Aug 8 to introduce the new policy and put it into effect.

The BNP denounced the government move saying it was a ploy to ‘cage’ Bangladesh’s media under the guise of ‘promoting responsibility and accountability’.

A section of journalists also protested against the policy and demonstrated at different places, demanding its cancellation.

The information minister, at the press briefing on Monday, explained the issues of the policy that triggered the criticisms.

According to the policy, the Ministry of Information will take all broadcast-related decisions until the National Broadcast Commission is formed and the policy becomes an Act.

Inu said noone including the journalists had opposed the idea of the ministry implementing the policy before the independent commission was in place.

"Those who did not understand the policy have misinterpreted it."

“You’ll certainly report crimes committed by security agency members but you cannot blame the agencies [for the crime],” the minister said.

He said journalists have their freedom of profession, and they must remember that every citizen has his/her personal freedom, too.

“You cannot publish photos with captions like, ‘someone’s sitting with his girlfriend wrapping his arms around her neck’.”

A law will be enacted under which the National Broadcast Commission will be formed.

Inu said the law will have detailed explanations of all the issues in the policy.

Until the commission is formed, the information ministry will oversee the policy’s implementation, a decision that has attracted much criticism from the press.

“The Broadcast Policy has not given the ministry any power. Rather, the ministry spontaneously formulated the policy to hand over supervision of the media to the commission,” Inu said.

The minister claimed no one had objected to the ministry overlooking implementation of the policy until the commission was formed.

He said the process to establish the commission would begin soon with the formation of a search committee.

Inu claimed the policy had not been formulated ‘hastily’, rather the draft published on the website was finalised after a long discussion by a committee comprising media personnel and stakeholders.