I do not want journalists to be above questioning: information advisor

Those institutions that have looted state money by showing their circulations to be above 150,000 – 200,000 when they are not above 2,000 will be probed, he says

Information and Broadcasting Advisor Mahfuj Alam says that policymakers should have the opportunity to question the media and where news or opinions are generated.

At a discussion organised by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Sunday to mark World Press Freedom Day, he said: “Questions can be asked of parliamentarians, questions can be asked of the judiciary, questions can be asked of security agencies, but questions cannot be asked of journalists. I don’t want such a situation.”

Mahfuj was speaking as the chief guest at the discussion titled “Brave New Bangladesh: Reform Road Map for Press Freedom”.

Media Reform Commission chief Kamal Ahmed presented the keynote speech at the meeting. He outlined some long-term and immediately implementable recommendations for media reforms.

Regarding the mass murder cases filed against journalists after the changeover of power, the information advisor said: “The cases were not filed based on the original allegations. Murder cases have been filed. The government is also in an embarrassing situation regarding the issue.”

After the fall of the Awami League government in the Aug 5 coup, several journalists were charged with murder and attempted murder. Several journalists have since been arrested.

Regarding this, Mahfuj said: "We are also trying to raise the issue, talking to the law and home ministries, to bring the issues to a particular stage. Filing a case and starting legal proceedings are different.”

"Anyone can file a case, the question is whether the government is detaining someone or not. If it is, is it being done according to the law? If not, you can talk about it."

The information advisor also said that a committee will be formed to find out how government money has been looted in the name of advertising in Bangladesh over the last 15 years and how politicisation has taken place at various institutions.

Mahfuj said that over the last few years, government advertising money has been looted by newspapers pumping up their subscription numbers. He claimed that ministers or senior officials wrote down larger circulation numbers after they were “called”.

He alleges that a “political economy” of looting had developed at the time.

The information advisor said there is a lot of talk about the advertising rate in newspapers. Currently, if the circulation is more than 150,000, the advertising rate is Tk 950, which is unfair compared to the inflation rate

Those who have looted state money by pumping up their newspaper's circulation numbers will be investigated, he said.

"Various leaders, ministers, and MPs have launched newspapers in the name of advertising with state money. We think a fact-finding initiative needs to be taken very soon on the state of the media over the last 15 years. This could be from the ministry. Other discussions are underway. It could be from the UN.”

Mahfuj said that it is also necessary to learn how the media has been politicised in the past.

“We need to know how much pressure journalists were under, what policies were made by which media houses, how the democratic process of the country was hindered due to this, which is what people want to know.”