Govt controlling mass media through secret policy: BNP

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday alleged that the incumbent government was controlling mass media through a ‘secret mass media policy.’
BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon at a briefing at the party central office said that the government was interfering with the mass media overtly and covertly.
He said that people critical of the government were not being invited in talk shows as the government interfered with the selection of talk-show guests.
He alleged that the government was trying to control mass media through controlling advertisements in the media.
He mentioned that advertisements of multinational institutions were not being published in the Daily Star and daily Prothom Alo for many days.
He said that defamation cases were also being filed against editors and journalists to obstruct their professional duties.
The spokesman asked the government to reactivate the Press Council to deal with the allegations against editors and journalists and demanded that the provision of prosecution of editors and journalists in criminal courts on charge of defamation be scrapped.
He alleged that the level of intimidation and suppression of mass media increased after Hasanul Haq Inu was made information minister.
He asked the government to reopen all closed newspapers and television channels including Channel 1, Diganta TV, Islamic TV and daily Amar Desh.
He came down hard on the government for arresting Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists faction president Shawkat Mahmood saying that he was arrested on political reason as he belonged to BNP.
He also demanded release of detained journalists including acting Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman and journalist Kanak Sarwar.
He demanded scrapping of the ‘anti-media’ provisions in the Information and Communications Technology Act.
He also demanded judicial inquiry into the police firing on protesters against sexual harassment of a woman at Kalihati in Tangail that killed four people on Friday.

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