Speakers at a discussion on Thursday said that freedom of press and the voice of the civil society is gradually shrinking in South Asia due to enforcement of some media regulatory laws.
They made came up with this remark while speaking at a discussion titled ‘World Press Freedom Day: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis,’ at TIB office at Dhanmondi in the capital.
The UNESCO, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and Article 19 jointly organised the event on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day to be observed today.
Speaking at the programme, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman highlighted the gradual shrinking of the freedom of the press and the civil society in the country.
He said that there is a scope to suppress the press by the abusing the existing and upcoming laws to regulate the media activities.
State Minister of Information Mohammad Ali Arafat, however, claimed that the country's media enjoys complete freedom and stressed the government's commitment to upholding press freedom by ensuring accountability and combating misinformation.
Chief News Editor of Machranga Television, Rejwanul Haq, said powerful influential people are involved in environmental destruction like sand extraction, river encroachment and hill cutting. And this evil practice are happening under the very nose of the police, the forest department, the environment department.
“It is difficult for upazila-level journalists to write against them as journalists have none to stand by them when they face threat for covering such illegal activities.
Distinguished panelists, including Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg von Linde, head of the UNESCO Dhaka office Susan Vize, and journalists from various media houses also took part in the discussion.
The 22nd Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report 2023-2024, titled "Artificial Independence: The Fight to Save Media and Democracy" was unveiled at the conclusion of this session. The report was published by the International Federation of Journalists.
Meanwhile, speakers in a separate session said the scope of traditional journalism is narrowing in South Asia due to digital media dominance.
They also raised concern over the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation on digital media platforms.
Participants in this session included representatives from the UNESCO, the International Federation of Journalists, and journalists from across the region.
They included UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office Advisor Hezekiel Dlamini, International Federation of Journalist Vice-President Sabina Inderjit, Journalist from Meghalaya Princess Giri Rashir, Dhaka AFP Bureau Chief Shafiqul Alam, Bhutanese Journalist leader Yeshi Pelmo, Indias Internet Journalist Association senior member Radhika Rao, Maldives Journalist Association senior member Mohamed Junayd Saleem, Sri Lankan Media Law Forum founder Viranjana Herath and UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office Associate Project Officer Ashita Singh.
Bangladesh ranked 163rd among 180 countries, the lowest in South Asia In the Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) 2023 Press Freedom Index.
The country scored slightly higher in 2022. It ranked 162nd in the year and 152nd in 2021 and 151st in 2020.