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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=4><STRONG>Campaigns and Advocacy -
Bangladesh<BR>IPI event highlights threats to press freedom, calls for
legislative and self-regulatory reforms<BR><BR></STRONG></FONT><FONT
face=Verdana size=2>Over 20 representatives of Bangladesh's print and broadcast
media have met in the country's capital, Dhaka, to discuss threats and
challenges facing the media in Bangladesh, and possible solutions. <BR><BR>The
meeting, held on 10 January 2011 at the Jatri auditorium, at Karwan Bazaar,
Dhaka, was organized by the IPI Bangladesh National Committee as part of a
project aimed at investigating obstacles to press freedom in Bangladesh,
promoting dialogue among editors and leading journalists throughout the country,
and improving communication between the media and public institutions.
<BR><BR>An IPI internal report highlighting the legislative obstacles to press
freedom in Bangladesh was discussed during the meeting. <BR><BR>"IPI welcomes
this important meeting. We believe that identifying and analyzing the problems
affecting press freedom and the media in Bangladesh is a first step toward
solving them. We trust that there is a strong enough political will to review
the country's laws and policies and therewith improve the country's democratic
standards. IPI will be glad to provide an international perspective in this
process," said IPI Acting Director, Alison Bethel McKenzie. <BR><BR>Participants
agreed that many of the current laws affecting the media need to be revised in
order to respond to the needs of the 21st century and so that they are in line
with international standards in this field. In particular, participants
highlighted the urgent need for a broadcasting policy to regulate the ongoing
expansion of the broadcasting sector and ensure, among other issues, that the
allocation of frequencies is carried out in a fair and inclusive manner.
<BR><BR>Numerous television and radio channels, community radios and Internet
portals have been set up in recent years and deregulation in this field may lead
to concentration of media ownership, cross ownership and politicization of the
broadcasting sector, which would be damaging to the development of independent
media institutions representative of the multiplicity of ideas and opinions
within Bangladesh society. <BR><BR>Participants at the IPI meeting stressed the
importance of implementing such a broadcasting policy by the end of 2011.
<BR><BR>Furthermore, they urged the authorities to ensure that representatives
of the media and other independent experts have sufficient input in the drafting
of the new broadcasting policy through a clearly defined system of public
consultation. The IPI Bangladesh National Committee and the IPI Secretariat in
Vienna will seek to ensure that any policy developed to regulate the
broadcasting sector fully respects the principle of press freedom and reflects
international democratic standards. <BR><BR>Contempt of court charges, which
have been handed down to journalists for criticizing court decisions or
publishing information deemed likely to jeopardize a fair trial, have led to
self-censorship, in particular with regard to politically sensitive issues.
<BR><BR>The limited protection that current laws offer to press freedom has led
to violations of this fundamental right, in particular during times of political
change, participants at the IPI meeting noted. <BR><BR>In addition,
investigative journalism is rare in Bangladesh. The causes for this deficit lie
mostly in the lack of training and resources, the fear of repercussions in a
judicial system that has yet to prove its commitment to the cause of press
freedom, and the limited independence of media outlets as a consequence of their
ownership structures. <BR><BR>Further to their call for legal reforms and a
stronger commitment to press freedom, participants at the IPI consultative
meeting also stressed the need for media companies to develop internal
governance structures that ensure editorial independence and strengthen press
freedom. <BR><BR>Participants at the 10 January meeting included representatives
of the newspapers Amader Somoy, Destiny, Independent, Manabzamin, Prothom Alo,
and Sheeshanews, and of ABC Radio. They were joined by representatives of the
following civil society groups: Bangladesh NGO Network for Radio and
Communication (BNNRC); Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum (BMSF);
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS); Changemakers; The Dhaka Union of Journalists
(DUJ); Journalism Training and Research Initiatives (Jatri); The Committee of
Journalists against Repression & Torture (CJRT); and the Media Professionals
Group (MPG). <BR><BR>IPI Board Member Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, editor-in-chief
& CEO of Boishakhi TV in Bangladesh, moderated the discussion. S. M. Mayeen
Ahmed, IPI Bangladesh Programme Coordinator, welcomed the participants on IPI's
behalf. <BR></FONT></DIV>
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<P><BR>For more information:<BR>International Press Institute <BR>Spiegelgasse
2/29 <BR>A-1010 Vienna <BR>Austria <BR>ipi (@) freemedia.at <BR>Phone: +43 1
5129011<BR>Fax: +43 1 5129014<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.freemedia.at/">http://www.freemedia.at/</A><FONT face=Verdana>
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