Government Has No Intention to Control Media: State Minister for Information

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Yasser Khan Chowdhury, has stated that the government has no intention of putting pressure on or controlling the media.

He made this statement on Tuesday (November 10) afternoon, following a meeting with leaders of the Broadcast Journalist Centre (BJC) in the conference room of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the Secretariat.

The State Minister for Information said that the government expects objective and responsible journalism from the media. At the same time, he urged the media to consider relevant issues when reporting on organizations whose activities are banned.

Assuring the implementation of demands raised by the BJC through discussion, the State Minister said that the organization’s demands would be fulfilled through dialogue.

During the meeting, Fahim Ahmed, Chairman of the BJC and CEO of Jamuna Television, spoke about journalists’ salaries, benefits, and professional rights. He stated that while garment workers can voice their demands for wages and benefits, journalists often cannot. They also lack the opportunity to take to the streets to express their demands.

Fahim Ahmed further added that television journalists receive low salaries and benefits. Television is an entirely advertisement-dependent medium. In this situation, he urged the government to take initiative to ensure that a portion of the revenue cable operators receive at the consumer level is allocated to television channels before the transition to digital broadcasting.

Furthermore, the BJC Chairman also emphasized the implementation of the recommendations of the Media Commission.

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