A 'radical and aggressive' reader section threatens media freedom, says Debapriya

A vocal group demanding moral accountability is the new adversary, the economist says

Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), has said a section of newspaper readers has become “radical and aggressive”, posing a new challenge to journalism in Bangladesh.

He calls the readers the “new adversaries” to journalism and encourages reflection on how they will engage with the media in the future.

He made these remarks at a publication event at the University Press Limited head office in Dhaka on Saturday.

The event was organised to mark the release of the book “The Economy of Scandals” by journalist Shawkat Hossain Masum.

Debapriya said, “Journalists specialising in economics have played a crucial role in shedding light on important issues during the authoritarian era.

“This is true for all newspapers. However, they had to face two kinds of adversaries.

“First, they faced the government. They have dealt with types of groups associated with the authoritarian government, both those in uniform and those without.

The economist commented that the media owners were the second adversary of journalists, saying: “As allies and the big pawns of capitalism, they have tried to control their own journalists. I have heard from multiple people, ‘I have written the report, but it isn’t being published.’

“I fear that these two forces remain, and a third problem has emerged alongside them.

“Previously, the readership wasn’t so radical or aggressive. Now, a section has become so extreme that they’re trying to shut down institutions and even resort to physical attacks.”

“The situation was not like that before,” he said. “This is a small but vocal group that uses the language of ethics to issue threats. They are the new adversary.

“We must think deeply about how journalism will respond to this third force in the future.”

About the book, University Press said: “In this, Shawkat Hossain Masum has written Bangladesh’s history over several decades through economic literature.

“‘The Economy of Scandals’ depicts in detail the gravity of danger to the state and society when the economy is scandalous.

“This book is an authentic account of the prestige created in the Bangladeshi economy via the use of political power through defaulted loans and illegal funds, along with the huge looting done by the capitalist class formed through large-scale looting of banks and the stock market.”