President Hamid urges media not to let outsiders meddle in their affairs

President Md Abdul Hamid has urged the media to guard against interference by outsiders in their affairs.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 Feb 2016, 10:25 AM
Updated : 5 Feb 2016, 11:47 AM

He made the call at an event in Dhaka on Friday, marking the 25th anniversary of the Daily Star.
 
The president urged journalists to refrain from ‘one-sided’ criticism and said it should be constructive.
 
“You have to practise self-censorship and remain alert to ensure that no outsider is able to interfere in affairs of the media,” he said.
 
His observation came two days after the daily’s editor, Mahfuz Anam, admitted to his 'biggest mistake' in journalism, saying it was wrong of him to run corruption stories against Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina during the 2007-8 military-controlled caretaker regime.
 

Speaking at a panel discussion on ATN News on Wednesday, Anam told talk-show host Munni Saha that his paper had been fed those graft stories by the military intelligence outfit, DGFI.
Several top politicians, including Hasina, were sent to jail on graft charges during the caretaker regime, led by Fakhruddin Ahmed, which had come to power following the promulgation of a state of emergency.
The president said the media need to work to keep the democratic process uninterrupted.
He hoped all media organisations will keep making efforts for the development of the nation by maintaining objectivity.
Addressing journalists, Hamid said, “You need to keep in mind that independence does not necessarily mean doing anything at will. Nobody has given anyone the freedom to interfere in other’s freedom.”
He said the media are free to criticise the government or even the president.
“But that has to be based on facts, and not one-sided. Constructive criticism can play a key role in the making of right decisions in running state affairs and building the nation,” Hamid said.
The president urged the media to come forward to stop religion from being abused.
“You have to play a role so that no one can misuse religions to do anything unfair. All types of media including newspapers have to work together for fighting militancy and terrorism,” he said.
Hamid called Bangladesh a country of communal harmony where, he said, every religious festival is celebrated by all and people of all faiths can perform their rituals freely.
“We cannot compromise with this tradition,” he said.
Twenty-four personalities and one institution were awarded at the event.
The Daily Star started its journey in 1991 with SM Ali as its editor.
Latifur Rahman of Transcom Group and Abdur Rouf Chwodhury of Rangs Group invested in Mediaworld Ltd, which owns the newspaper. Mahfuz Anam took over as the editor after the death of Ali.
Mediaworld Chairperson Rokia Afzal Rahman presided over the event. Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman, Indian
journalist Kuldip Nayar, Suthichai SaeYon from the Nation Multimedia Group of Thailand, and N Ram of the India’s Hindu Group of Publications also spoke.