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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asked the journalist community to stay alert against any rumour.
She made the call when two delegations of noted journalists met her separately at her official residence Ganabhaban. The premier also asked the journalists to make them prepared to cope with the modern era.
"Online news media are now flourishing rapidly. People are now increasingly browsing online to read news items instead of print newspapers posing a challenge for the print media. They should take preparation for facing the challenge," she said.
Focusing on various measures taken by her government for the overall development of the journalist community, Sheikh Hasina said her government has formed the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust by providing the seed money. "If I am voted to power again, I will again donate money to the trust," she added. She reiterated her call to the owners of the media houses to donate to the trust fund.
During the meeting, the prime minister patiently listened to journalist leaders. The journalists placed several demands, including formation of the 10th wage board in accordance with the AL's election manifesto of 2024 and then taking proper measures to implement the wage board.
The prime minister said her government has opened the banks, insurances and media for the private sector mainly to generate employment. She said her government has done everything possible to give the countrymen a developed and improved life.
Sheikh Hasina said she has no (foreign) master but for the people, adding that the people are her only strength and their support only matters to her, nothing else.
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) president Omar Faruk and President of Editors Guild Bangladesh Mozammel Babu led their respective delegations during the meetings. BFUJ secretary general Dip Azad moderated the BFUJ meeting with the prime minister.
Other BFUJ delegation members included former BFUJ presidents Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Abul Kalam Azad and Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul and former BFUJ secretary general Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan, Jatiya Press Club (JPC) General Secretary Shyamal Dutta, former president of Jatiya Press Club Saiful Alam, President and General Secretary of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Sohel Haider Chowdhury and Akter Hossain.
The delegation members of the Editors Guild Bangladesh included Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)'s Managing Director Abul Kalam Azad, Daily Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, Bangladesh Protidin Editor Naem Nizam, Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta, Gazi TV Editor-in-chief Syed Ishtiaque Reza, Bangladesh Journal Editor Shahjahan Sardar, DBC TV Editor-in-Chief Manzurul Islam and The Business Post Executive Editor Mainul Alam.
