Unheard Voices

Some developments related to Bangladesh media are raising concerns. All of these may be unrelated. But being put all together, it creates an unsettling picture.

Since Jan 11: Owners and directors of at least 5 tv channels and 5 newspapers are under the ACC anti-corruption dragnet.

Sep, 07: First 24-7 news channel CSB shut down.

Nov 07: Economist reports

For the regime, the anti-graft drive has had some useful side-effects. The intelligence services are systematically acquiring shares in private media companies, by offering the release from detention of their owners in return.

Jan 15, 08: New Age reports that in the first year of emergency 35 journalists were injured, 13 arrested, 35 assaulted, 83 threatened and 13 sued while one media practitioner was forced to sign an undertaking and another came under attack.

April, 08 Popular nightly talk show on Ekushey TV closes down amid on/off restriction.

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Daily Star four years ago after US human rights report on Bangladesh was published in 2004:

On the wrong side of Human Rights, again
Govt. did not listen when we reported the same facts, will it listen now?
Full editorial

Daily Star in 2008 after a similar report on Bangladesh got published

Journalism without fear or favour!?

This is how author Tahmima Anam of Golden Age fame, daughter of Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, was captioned in New Age yesterday. Perhaps it is an honest mistake. Perhaps it is not. If it isn’t, then this is so silly that its almost embarrassing and disgusting at the same time.

Tired of speculating about the regime’s next move, or feeling disgusted about the blatant human rights violation, or worrying about the skyrocketing prices? Here is something completely different to discuss over. Is the Bangla we speak ‘mangled’? Should we be worried about the demise of ‘impeccable’ Bangla? Who decides the standard of impeccability anyhow? These questions were raised in a series of articles in Prothom Alo some time ago, and have been revived by a recent Daily Star piece (hat tip: Udayan). I’ll summarise these articles first before ending with some thoughts. Looking forward to the comments.

(More at Mukti)

During my visit to Bangladesh, I sent this update about media to my colleagues

Amid the stale format of talks shows and old hogs, there are some spectacular young jounalists who are changing the way tv reporting talkshows are done. This is the most refreshing change and indeed gives me a lot of hope about the media. TV journalists like Kazi Jesin and their no holds barred approach is definitely something to keep an eye out for. Among the e channels, Ekushey TV is leading the pack in this. Ekushey TV seems to have targetted the youth as an audience and the reporting style , the get ups and the people who do the shows all are reflected in it. Also it has been helped by the shutdown of CSB channel, it seems as this is also focusing a news show driven approach in its programming.
Ekushey has restarted with a fresh and enthusiastic bunch and other channels which are name heavy are starting to look stale. The flagship program in Ekushey is of course their live news show at 9.30 pm where they directly take questions from the public as well and bring in young journalists to grill the participants. This program has accountability written all over it.

I was referring to the program Ekushey Shomoy and Ekushey Raat - the two flagship programs of ETV. Irene Khan just did one live tv show where she took questions from the public in Bangladesh during her trip and that was with Ekushey Shomoy and it was a spectacular show with some very tough questions for her. I saw the recording from the studio. The set up was really interesting considering it was a Bangladeshi show. A crew of online editors carefully monitor the show and any time an issue comes up that needs follow up or further challenge, they call in via phone or via sattelite link up another expert who directly challenges the participant. In very little time, it was slowly becoming the must see tv for all for the sheer courage of the topics and its ability to push the boundaries. Yours truly also took part in a live Ekushey Raat.

Today, however, AFP is carrying the news that these two programs have now been banned.

DHAKA (AFP) — Bangladesh’s army-backed emergency government has banned two popular live political talk shows, the private satellite television channel ETV said.

“The information ministry handed us a written order saying that we cannot telecast out our live talk shows any more,” a senior ETV official told AFP.

The two prime time shows, off the air since Thursday, hosted political and civil society leaders and took questions from viewers and journalists on political, economic, social and cultural issues.

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Only a day after a very heartening conversation between the business men and the chief advisers to bring back investor and business confidence back to the economy, the government shuts down the first 24 hour news channel in Bangladesh temporarily. If the TV authority can not answer satisfactorily the charges of forgery within 7 days, the station will be shut down permanently. Cancelled. Closed. Shut Down.

It takes millions of dollars to build a company, it takes thousands of hours of sweat, intellect and hard work to build up an organization. But it takes a switch of a button to shut it down. CSB cost $7 million to build. In Bangladesh taka it amounts to 48 crore. Leave aside the freedom of information argument for now. Can we afford this? We are not advocating corruption here. If the information ministry officials played a part on this supposed forgery, can you feasibily punish the private company for govt corruption?

employees of CSB breakdown after hearing the news of shutdown

Take the case of Warid Telecom, for example. As per Daily Star report, Warid bribed Hawa bhaban heftily to get their telecom license unfairly at a much discounted rate. Can we afford to shut them now after they have invested millions of dollars in this country? Last time, I checked on news, the army chief was happily accepting laptops from their CEO for the voter list (Warid topped the list giving 500 laptops). If not, then why this selective application of the law? Isn’t this the chief adviser said that he would stop from happening to regain the business confidence back?

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Lot of theories and counter-theories are flying by regarding the last week’s incidents. We have some news stories that have been shared by the commenters in the blog which points to a conspiracy by the students and teachers led by political parties. While there may certainly be meat to the allegation of conspiracy, we, however, have not seen any news report that did its own investigation and presented evidence to support the theories. Rather, we detect a trend of having a trial by media of the accused people. None of these reporters actually care to interview both the sides in the incident and do their own investigation and in stead quote unnamed sources and allegations without any references or evidence. Also some reports tend to quote goyenda (investigator) sources which are itself a party at the incident. Alarmingly several newspapers are publishing news stories which are exactly identical in nature. At this time of news censorship in Bangladesh, we understand the difficulty in publishing objective news. Without discounting the conspiracy theories put forward by these various reports, we hope we get a balanced picture and a thorough investigative report done by their own reporter by credible print media and at the same time we hope due process is followed in treating the accused. We await an objective report by the enquiry commission of what happened. In the mean time, foreign news reporters are covering this issue. One such report today came out in BBC which interviews all the sides and presents a good overview on the outcry that followed the publication of the much talked about picture.

To Editor:
Daily Star.

Dear Editor,

I wanted to bring to your attention the wide outrage that has been caused among the NRB experts on energy sector by recent series by Shehrier Khan on Asia Energy and its proposed open pit coal mining methods. While going to the source in a foreign land and doing fact finding is indeed a fresh change in news reporting in deshi print media, the people involved in this area with extensive research have found this report to be shockingly onesided.

As highlighted on my piece in Forum this month, the role of BEN (Bangladesh Environment Network) in forming key environmental movement via BAPA has been path setting. This organization with its experts spread worldwide on highly reputed organizations on energy and environmental issues add a lot of weight to the exisiting discussion that is happening surrounding energy issues in Bangladesh. They recently produced a full coal policy highlighted in the op-ed in your paper . Most of the members in the group found it appalling that such an important piece which got front page treatment completely fails to cover the major reservations against the open pit coal mining.

I have read several of Shehrier’s pieces before and found them to be quite thorough. However, thre recent pieces are problematic in several fronts. (more…)

Published in Himal
http://www.himalmag.com/2007/june/cover_feature_bangladesh_media.htm

Bangladeshis have been looking to the press for leadership in a time of military rule, but the journalists have allowed themselves to be bullied by populism and cowed by fear of authority.

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Approved (LOCAL)
Multimedia Production (ATN Bangla), Impress Telefilm (Channel i), International Television Channel (NTV), National Television (RTV), One Entertainment (Channel One), Shaymal Bangla Media (Bangla Vision), Boishakhi Media, SN Television, Broadcast Islamic World, Desh Television, Diganto Media Corporation (DTV) and Focus Multimedia (CSB).

Approved (FOREIGN)
BBC World, CNN, Fox News, Sky News, History Channel, ESPN, Hallmark, Discovery Channel, TNT Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Animal Planet, National Geographic Channel, Star Sports, HBO, Alpha Bangla, Zee English, Zee News, Zee Sports, Star News, Zee TV, Star Plus, Star Movies, Star World, Sony TV, Zee Cinema, Zee MGH, Zee Movies, MTV and Star Gold.

[Source: Information ministry released a list of 12 local and 29 foreign TV channels, which are allowed to stay on the air in Bangladesh.]

The story from CPJ speaks for itself

Jahangir Alam Akash, a reporter for CSB News, said he was threatened over the telephone after reporting on the raid on the house of Benjir Ahmed, in the northwestern city of Rajshahi on Wednesday. Ahmed was shot and wounded. About 30 minutes after the raid Akash had interviewed Ahmed’s wife, Mina, who had witnessed the shooting along with the couple’s young daughter, Prianka.

On Thursday evening, soon after his exclusive report aired, Akash told CPJ he was threatened by Major Rashidul Hasan Rashid, the leader of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) group that carried out the raid.

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Mahfuz Sadique on Bangla Blogs

From newspapers of last 48 hours:
1. DAILY STAR quotes anonymous high-level gov’t source: “[Khaleda] may leave the country at any time in the next few days…The authorities will not make any delay in sending the former prime minister along with her family members to Saudi Arabia…It may take five-six days to complete all the formalities with the Saudi government and other partners for making arrangements for the former prime minister’s prolonged stay there.”

2. Newspapers receive PID note from Iftekhar Hossain, principal information officer:”Recently we have noticed that some of the media are publishing or broadcasting dishonest and unprofessional political statements, satirical sketches, cartoons, features, etc, which are creating confusion among the people…some newspapers are publishing motivated and exaggerated reports about government officials, businessmen, professionals, intellectuals, and politicians in an effort to create confusion among the people,…maintain the positive role of the electronic and print media…The mass media’s role in carrying out the government’s ongoing multifaceted reform programmes has been praised by all quarters. Because of this positive role, the government is always proactive in maintaining the freedom of the electronic and print media in spite of the country being under a state of emergency. As a result, the government has been flexible and tolerant in implementing the provisions of the Emergency Powers Act, 2007” (more…)

CPJ urges Bangladesh to rescind emergency media rules

New York, January 26, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly concerned about new regulations imposed by the Bangladeshi interim government that severely restrict news reporting. The Emergency Powers Rules of 2007, announced on Thursday, restrict press coverage of political news and set penalties of up to five years in prison for violations.
The new rules aim at a wide range of political activities. Those dealing specifically with media allow the government to ban or censor print and broadcast news about rallies and other political activities that it deems “provocative or harmful.” Under the rules, the government can seize printed material and confiscate printing presses and broadcast equipment. The government also has power under the regulations to censor or block news transmitted in any form.
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