Md Nahid Islam, adviser to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has acknowledged dissatisfaction with the current wage board and noted that the low salary structure is causing young people to lose interest in journalism. He said there are ongoing considerations for reforming the wage board.
The adviser made these comments during a meeting with the US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Helen LaFave at the Secretariat’s Post and Telecommunications Division office on Tuesday.
He added that if journalists take the initiative for reforms, the government would work towards resolving the issue.
Addressing inquiries from Helen LaFave regarding media freedom, particularly in relation to the Cyber Security Act, Nahid Islam affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring media freedom.
He criticised past governments for undermining media freedom through certain laws, including the Cyber Security Act, and assured that his administration is working on this issue, saying that no law conflicting with international human rights standards would be retained.
He also mentioned plans to collaborate with the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB), university journalism departments, and citizen journalists on training programmes.
The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Post and Telecommunications Division Dr Md Mushfiqur Rahman, Secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division Md Shamsul Arefin, US Embassy Political-Economic Counsellor Eric Zillan, Economic Officer James Gardiner, Commercial Counsellor John Fay, and Public Affairs Officer Stephen Ibelli.
