'Owners using media to make fortunes'

Reazul Bashar

bdnews24.com Senior Correspondent

Dhaka, Jun 6 (bdnews24.com) – A former senior official of the Ministry of Information says he thinks the owners are unashamedly misusing the media only to make fortunes.

Harun-ur-Rashid, the immediate-past Principal Information Officer (PIO) of the Press Information Department, in an interview with bdnews24.com says such abuse of media outlets could even worsen in the future.

He, however, sees 'some developments' in journalism in recent times.

Rashid was one of the war correspondents of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra during the nation's War of Independence in 1971. He retired on Tuesday after working for 40 years at the Press Information Department (PID).

He was involved in ways with the media during his time in PID. Rashid talked to bdnews24.com about his experiences, past, thoughts and hopes for the new generation while working as the Principal Information Officer.

"A new version of media had come to light after [Jatiya Party chief and former President H M Ershad] was thrown out of office. Journalism reached a new level," he said.

"Independence was given to the newspapers to publish news reports, which was kind of impossible due to constant obstruction during the military regime [of Ershad]. New newspapers, radio stations and television channels started coming onto the scene."

Rashid says he thinks that the development of the mass media in Bangladesh after 1990 is far better than any other country.

The former PID chief says that there has been a huge shift in the ownership of the media sector in the last 10-15 years. "Most of the country's media house owners were from middle class during Pakistan or post-Pakistan time. They thought of journalism as an honest profession."

"But now, most of the media are in the hands of the business magnets of the country. And a majority of journalists now think of their profession as a job."

"Journalists are working sometimes on the orders of the owners who pursue their own ends. And the government is being attacked in many ways if the owner fails to derive benefits."

"The government makes mistakes. Constructive criticism is needed to find solutions to those mistakes. But all we can see is the misuse of media in a naked race of gaining more money'."

"Sometimes, media outlets are being used against the government just to serve the owners. If they [owners] don't like it, they are even willing to try to unseat the government. But the government can't touch them."

"If the government even tries to say anything they accuse the government of attacking the media."

Talking about social media, Rashid says, "The social media is becoming popular and its influence is increasing as the internet reach spreads out."

"Governments of many countries have started thinking about keeping the social media under their control and keep an eye on it. Policymakers of our government should also give this a thought and stay alert."

He says he would like to see private television stations do more programmes on education, health and social development.

"Private TV channels would not show much interest in broadcasting programmes on the development of education, persons with disability or the indigenous people. Because these programmes don't generate much advertisement. That's why the government needs to come forward and support these programmes."

According to him, the government is planning to launch a TV channel that will telecast only educational programmes.

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