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The government wants to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment for the media through effective policies rather than control, Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has said.
He said creating such an environment would help attract greater investment in the media sector and make it easier to ensure better salary structures, working conditions and professional security for journalists.
The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “The Role of Media in Sustainable Democracy,” organised by the Television Editors’ Council in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Friday (August 7).
Stressing that there is no alternative to independent journalism for the development of democracy, Swapan said the government currently exercises no control over the media like in the past.
“Rather, the government believes that independent, responsible and objective media are essential to building a sustainable democratic state,” he said.
He said concerns over government control of the media that existed in the past no longer reflect the current reality.
The information minister described journalism as a profession that serves as one of the foundations of the state and society, stressing the need to ensure the dignity and security of journalists.
However, he said the government alone cannot ensure this. Media owners, journalists, advertisers and all other stakeholders must work together to create a better environment for the profession.
“The biggest battle now is between accurate information and misinformation,” Swapan said.
He said objective, accurate and responsible journalism is one of the biggest challenges facing the media today, while combating false and misleading information is also an important responsibility of journalists.
