'Journalist Protection Act' to be enacted soon: Mahfuj
As part of media reform, Mahfuj Alam proposed merging BTV and Bangladesh Betar into an autonomous entity
Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md Mahfuj Alam today (28 September) expressed his optimism that the 'Journalist Protection Act' will be enacted soon, aimed at safeguarding the rights of journalists.
"I received 18 draft versions of the law and recommended presenting them to the cabinet," he said while speaking as the guest of honour at an informative dialogue session titled "Dialogue on Self-Regulation and Grievance in Media: Political and Policy Perspectives" at the Cirdap Auditorium in the capital, said a press release.
The Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) hosted the dialogue to discuss reforms related to the mass media.
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Consulting Editor of The Daily Star and former Head of the Media Reform Commission Kamal Ahmed also attended the dialogue as the guest of honour.
As part of media reform, Mahfuj Alam proposed merging BTV and Bangladesh Betar into an autonomous entity. But, he said, complications have arisen due to staff coordination and stakeholder influence.
While media house owners have benefited from increased advertising rates, he said, the actual benefits for journalists remain questionable. "What are journalists really getting? The owners don't have an answer," he stated.
During his tenure, he said, no media house was shut down, but 72-75 journalists faced harassment, and he is working with the ministry to resolve those issues.
The session was moderated by the president of CGS, Zillur Rahman.
Emphasising on reforms, Zillur Rahman noted that although much has been said about reform, the promises made by political parties during the 2007-08 "One-Eleven" period were never implemented.
He pointed out that reform narratives often remain confined to promises, with little effort made to turn the page and act on them.
Kamal Ahmed recommended gathering public opinion and publishing drafts of the "Journalist Protection Act 2025" and the "Media Commission Act" on a website.
Despite submitting the report six months ago, he regretted the delay in implementing the Journalist Protection Ordinance.
