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Published : 05 May 2025, 06:23 PM
Information and Broadcasting Advisor Mahfuj Alam has said the "politicisation" of the media under ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule is the primary source of journalists’ disempowerment.
He alleged that the media was “used as a tool to manufacture consent” for the killings, abductions, and extrajudicial murders that took place during the Awami League government.
“The media functioned as a machine to generate approval for Sheikh Hasina’s brutality,” he said.
“The politicisation of the media is fundamentally the enemy of journalists. Journalists must understand that this politicisation lies at the heart of their disenfranchisement.”
Mahfuj was speaking at a seminar titled “Killing and Persecution of Journalists under a Fascist Regime” at the DFP conference room on Circuit House Road in Dhaka on Monday,
He continued: “The state needed the media to generate public approval for killings, disappearances, and extrajudicial executions. The media was shaped with this very purpose in mind.”
Mahfuj also announced that all media outlets approved during the Awami League’s tenure would be subject to investigation.
He said, “We will investigate very soon how those media outlets were licensed. When and how they were approved, and based on this approval, how did they take a stand against the people of Bangladesh and create fake journalists.”
Mahfuj suggested, “If you want to create positive competition, quality and professionalism, you must get rid of the bad apples.”
Mahfuj also said professional newspapers would see more opportunities in future.
“The opportunities for newspapers which are sold should be increased. For them, we will try to increase the benefits granted by the DFP [Department of Film and Publication] based on the circulation of the newspaper. We will increase the rate of advertising.”
Urging journalists to maintain professionalism, he said: “We do not want you to write for this government. Question the government. I think that if you question the government, the government does more work."
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