Steps to be taken to form independent commission to monitor mass media

Law Minister Anisul Huq has said that initiatives will be taken to form an independent commission or watchdog to monitor the overall situation in mass media.

He said emphasis has been given to give legal protection to the mass media. A law would be framed to give protection to journalists and remove the obstacles faced by the mass media.

The Law Minister was speaking as the chief guest at a broadcast conference organised by Broadcast Journalists Centre (BJC) at Bangla Academy premises in the capital on Saturday. It was the BJC's fourth conference.
Speaking at the conference, senior journalists of the mass media raised various demands apart from framing a seperate law for the protection of journalists.

They also laid strong emphasis on making the proposed Cyber Security Act (CSA) as "journalist friendly," instead of making draconian one like the Digital Security Act (DSA).

Later, speaking at the two sessions of the function, the Law Minister said the objective of the DSA was not to create obstacles to independent journalism. "Whenever the government received any complain about the law, it tried to resolve those. Steps will be taken to give protection to the mass media to resolve all the problems."

The minister said a broadcasting commission or any such commission would be formed which will work as a watchdog so that owners, government, journalists and people can go there. A legal framework would be needed to set up such a watchdog.

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ)'s former president Manzurul Ahsan Bulbul and Professor Dr Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan spoke at the conference.

With BJC Board of Trustees Chairman Rezwanul Haque Raja in the chair, the conference was also addressed by BJC trustee Syed Ishtiaq Reza, Fahim Ahmed, Zahirul Alam, Talat Mamun, Pranab Saha, Zahid Newaz Khan, JI Mamun and Nazrul Kabir, among others.

The two sessions of the conference was moderated by BJC trustee Noor Safa Julhas and Munni Saha, while Manash Ghosh and Rizvi Newaz delivered introductory speeches.

Seperate reports were presented by senior journalists Zahirul Alam, Shahnaj Sharmin and Milton Anwar.