Fear now shapes journalism in Bangladesh: Mahfuz Anam tells Al Jazeera

An overpowering sense of fear now shapes journalism in Bangladesh, where even minor departures from dominant narratives can invite attack, said Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star.

Speaking to The Listening Post on Al Jazeera, Mahfuz said the media landscape now allows more investigative reporting and independent thinking than in the past, but that fear still influences editorial decisions, reports The Daily Star.

"Today, we have far more free mainstream media, more investigative stories. Independent thinking is definitely much more prominent than before. But that overriding fear – that if I slightly deviate from the present popular narrative, I might be attacked – also exists.

"To tell you frankly, we sometimes think very carefully, should I use this word or that word? This sort of thinking, which is against the culture of independent media, also exists, now," he said.

Referring to the attack on The Daily Star, Mahfuz said those who set fire to the office were unlikely to be readers of the newspaper and suggested the incident was planned.

"So what motivated them?" he asked, adding, "I think it was well planned. They had their political motivation, financial motivation, and there was also the idea of demolishing the tradition of liberal journalism, journalism that supports democracy, multiplicity of views, and dissent, in a very big way.

"Our reporting, if it is flawed, somebody can say it. We can be criticised. But to burn us down, I think this is most unfortunate."

He described the night of the attack as chaotic and frightening for newsroom staff.

"They [the staff] were having problems breathing. I was talking to the newsroom over the phone, and they were telling me, 'Mahfuz Bhai, we may not meet again'. They were ringing their parents, their wives, their friends, saying maybe they will never meet again."

Mahfuz said social media has given people space to express opinions, but it has also led to the spread of "a huge amount of fake news, hate speech, [and] unsubstantiated accusations".

He said using social media to target individuals and institutions "is also a reality in Bangladesh", adding that some political parties have formed organised "social media teams".

"So if you say anything against this particular political party, suddenly hundreds of people will start abusing you," he said. "And if you say something nice, again hundreds of people can start praising you. The political use of social media is very much in vogue."

Mahfuz said online calls to attack media houses played a role during the violence.

"It is well known to anybody who followed social media that night that there was one influencer who said, 'Prothom Alo is down, now go to Daily Star and attack this'.

"They were trying to destroy us as an institution… it has been a very deliberate, very powerful, and, I must say, sadly effective way of continuing to denigrate two powerful mainstream media of Bangladesh."

He also said political divisions among journalists have weakened public trust in the media.

"So imagine that when the public sees that a journalist who is supposed to tell me the truth actually belongs to a political party, the credibility of that media outlet… suffers greatly."

Mahfuz said the public, after three elections lacking credibility, now expects a vote that reflects the people's will.

"Whoever gets elected, they will not forget the fact about the fall of Hasina… her government's treatment of the media."

He described Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule as being defined by the Digital Security Act.

"This encapsulates the government's total dominance of dissent… the whole idea was to create an environment of fear."

Mahfuz said repression affected journalists across the board.

"I have had 83 cases launched against me by Hasina… Our advertisements were stopped, and our revenue dropped by about 40 to 45%."

Despite this, he expressed hope that the experience would influence future governments and improve conditions for free media in Bangladesh.