Special Correspondent: General meeting and ID card distribution program of Dhaka Press Club has been held in the Puspyadham Party Palace hall at Jatiya Krira Parishad Bhaban on Thursday. Bangladesh Press Council Chairman Justice Nizamul Haque Nasim has been presented as the chief guest in the event. He said at this time, Bangladesh Press Council and the government are simultaneously working as a bridge between journalists. The press council has brought up the problems of journalists to the government for redressal and the government’s statement is also reached to the journalists. He said, the committee for reforming the law for journalists is recommended before taking charge. Journalist leaders supported and signed the recommendation. Work is going on in that light. Currently the report has been sent to the National Parliament for approval. The Press Council expects journalists to be graduates or have 5 years of working experience in journalism. The Press Council will create a database for journalists across the country that will contain detailed information about working journalists. As a result, journalists in the whole country will not have the opportunity to commit any kind of crime or harass the common people. Currently, false news reporter can be fined up to TK 10 lac. Journalists have no reason to fear. The Press Council consists of 14 members, out of which 9 are journalists.
He also said that a three-member judicial panel was created to redress the grievances in the Press Council. It consists of the press council chairman and two journalist members. There is no reason for journalists to fear about the digital law, if they perform their duties properly according to the rules, there should be no problem. In 1974, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu first formed the Press Council where there was a provision of reprimand if someone was found guilty (48 years ago). The Press Council of India formed in 1978, then Press Council of Nepal have been formed. The Press Council of India followed the Press Council of Bangladesh to formulate the Act.
General Secretary of Dhaka Press Club Md. Mosleh Uddin Bachchu said that the state stands by the side of other government forces when they are injured or killed in accidents. But the sad thing is that when a journalist killed or faces any accident, neither the government nor the owner of the newspaper not seen to stand them. If any government employee has been sick, they are given all medical tests and free medical treatment by their own government’s employee hospital, but this opportunity is not available for journalists. There is no special treatment for journalists in government hospitals either. For this, he strongly demanded that free treatment should be provided for all journalists.
Nurul Amin Rokon, Secretary General of Bangladesh Federal Journalist Union spoke as a special guest in the event. In his speech he said, we want a law to ban yellow journalism. He claimed that some government bureaucrats misused the spy laws of the British period to create obstacles in the collection of information. Recently, a senior journalist of Prothom Alo had been arrested and tortured under the Espionage Act. He also expressed solidarity with the statement of the General Secretary of Dhaka Press Club and presented it to the Chairman of Bangladesh Press Council. Another Special guest, Dhaka Press Club Chief Adviser Professor Rafique Ullah Sikder said that the Press Council and the government should not only hold discussions with newspaper owners need to discussions with journalists’ organizations.
Under the chairmanship of Dhaka Press Club President Md. Shahjahan Mia and moderated by General Secretary Mosleh Uddin Bachchu; Advisor of Dhaka Press Club Mr. Obaidul Haque Khan, Lion MH Maruf Sikdar, Executive Member of Bangladesh Federal Journalist Union Zakir Hossain, Organizing Secretary of Dhaka Press Club MH Mahfuz, Office Secretary Advocate Alauddin, Member MA Gani, Biplob Pal, Md Nazrul Islam, Md Zainal Abedin Farazi and others also spoke among others.
