The Transparency International Bangladesh on Saturday said that nexus between politicians and businesspeople and the Digital Security Act in stood on the way of free journalism, media professionalism, and independent information flow in Bangladesh.
The organisation said that establishment of mass-media with poor institutional and financial capacity to protect corporate capital and their approval on political consideration created fresh instances of security threats to journalists’ professional and personal life.
In a statement ahead of the World Press Freedom Day, the organisation called for ensuring an environment conducive to independent and professional mass-media.
“Most of the media outlets are owned by businesspeople. Their direct and indirect political involvement gave an institutional base to ‘occupying mass-media’. So, journalists are being forced to hide news or publish news to protect such nexus and failing to maintain professional accountability,” said Iftekharuzzaman, the organisation’s executive director.
It is not only obstructing flourish of free media but also intensifies the crisis of credibility, he said.
In the latest World Press Freedom Index, Bangladesh stands at 152nd position among 180 countries and it stands at 132nd among 161 nations in the Freedom of Expression Index. It indicates gradual decrease of media environment in Bangladesh, he said.
