Free Press: just “Mirage”!

3rd May 'World Press Freedom Day’. May 3 was recognized as World Press Freedom Day’ at the UN General Assembly in 1993, according to the recommendation of the 26th General Assembly of the UNESCO in 1991. Bangladesh's achievement in free media index in 53 years of independence, what is the position?

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'Special Power Act, 1974' was issued on 9 February 1974 on 2 years of independence. The government is given huge power to control the media in this law. In this continuation, all other newspaper except 4 newspapers published officially on June 16, 1975 were banned. This is how the free press journey started in Bangladesh!

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That is, the 'Press Freedom ‘concept stumbles at the beginning of birth. The free press is in no way in compatible with the one-party authoritarian regime system. Only in a democratic state system, free press practice can be created. Yet there are many challenges. The democratic state system is still incomplete!

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Paris-based organization reports Without Borders published their 2024 report May 3, 2024. Bangladesh's position (good to bad) 165 among 180 countries in the world free media index, says the report. The lowest in South Asia. This was 121 positions in 2009. That is 42 steps behind the index in the last 14 years (RSF).

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The information minister has rejected this information in a loud voice. Of course, when Awami League was not in power in 2008 welcomed the report published that year, there is no media freedom in the country, if elected it will ensure freedom. When those in power they reject this report and welcome the opposition. Consider how certain freedom is!!

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What free press means global is under threat. May the situation be more critical in Bangladesh. Thinking of free press in the robber’s capitalist state system is a ' Illusory dream’. No government has allowed the Press to play their role independently in the past 53 years of ruling. But a portion of press and journalists continued their fight for independent role before and still continues. This fight flow has become much decayed in the present time.

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Of course, it is very fair discussion that does Press freedom not only interrupt by the ruling groups or the government, or something else. In our country's context, not just the government, but many other influential forces ruin the press freedom. Disrupts the independent role of a journalist.

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In the early nineties, the robbers of the country-built media houses as a weapon to cover their looting activities. The owner of newspapers and TV channels overnight. The so-called corporate fund infiltration occurs under the ownership of the media. Using all these media to spread their desperate influence on the country's politics-economy-culture.

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Freedom of journalists, freedom of the owners of these institutions is established in the name of free press. Freedom to use their owned media at will begins. As the country's health system's skeleton bodies have been revealed in the time of Covid-19, similarly, the stinking characters of most so-called media here have been debuted in recent times centering the deaths of 'Munia'.

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This is also a big obstacle along with the government in free press practice. Most of the media have established all these looters as commercial publicity medium for the so-called corporate house. These media houses were built by investing thousands of crores. They have changed the characteristics of the press.

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News is published in object-fair, unbiased on media. And the public opinion is influenced by promoting different content as their own agendas through commercial promotion. A large portion of all the prints, electronic, online media in the country acts as effective commercial promotion medium. These media houses are one of the areas of investing and protecting the black money of the looters.

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All these promotions from high ranks to field level workers they all work like other ten jobs. Not as a journalist. Their job is to act-react according to the instructions of the owner. The political philosophy of the owner becomes their philosophy. It is forced to happen. The question is related to bread and food, not philosophy.

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Many of my Facebook friends had been posting, 'I am a journalist of the “Kaler kantho”, I am proud'. I know many of them personally. Giving this status only on the instructions of the owner to save the job by being unsuccessful. There is neither philosophy, nor any relation of likes and dislikes!!

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Problem is, a journalist in society has a different image of characteristics, social-political responsibility. Many of the oldest journalists of the country have established such image. The journalists will not compromise with injustice, will be in favor of truth-justice, will play an impartial role.

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As media and commercial publicity medium have become one, the ideal journalist traits are demanded from those who live jobs through publicity! But when it doesn't meet it has negative effects on all those who truly are journalists.

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Corporate houses are keeping their owned commercial promotional media label. So that the promotion on one hand can be facilitated in the farming. These publicity mediums generate social consent in society. It controls which direction to take the situation after which promotion.

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Politics plays a role in changing the direction. Looters build all corporate houses with the part of the ruling groups ready to assist in ensuring their interests. This is why the state also plays a role in determining who will not come to power. Using their owned so-called press to build public consent in favor of it.

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Those who live in power in the state, or those who control the country's economy, must constantly act anti-public interest to sustain their power. In the Manufacturing Consent book Chomsky and Hermann said, 'The media's job is to distract citizens by continuous campaigning and gain consent from them to the state's anti-general activities'. At this point they said any news has to go through five filters step by step. They named it 'Propaganda Model'.

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The first filter of the model is media owned. According to this ownership, no anti-selfish news of corporate organizations will be published. And since the owners of these business organizations are dependent on the government for their various businesses, so they will also be careful of criticism of the government for their own interest. The other four filters include ads, news source restrictions, criticism and national enemies.

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It's not that he leaves everything on behalf of the government. The free press is a big obstruction to the uninterrupted robbery of robbers and capitalists. That's why even though the Special Power Act of 1974 was cancelled, digital security act has been made.

At least 339 cases have been registered against journalists under the Digital Security Act since the law was enacted in 2018 until early May 2023, the statement quoted the Center for Governance Studies as saying. Six international human rights organizations have reported that 56 journalists have been targeted by the government and government supporters in Bangladesh in the first three months of 2023.

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Here is our free media film! On one hand the robbers are the ruling group and on the other the robbers are the owners group. Media's freedom is irritating. It passes even if it goes to this side, it passes even if it is waiting. Robbers play a role in the capitalist social system in the media robbers. Produces social consent in favor of the robbers. Free press without a democratic social system is just 'mirage'.

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