journalists
Mass media bill placed in Parliament, sent to standing committee
The Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022 was placed in Parliament aimed at increasing facilities in job for journalists and other employees.Information and Broadcast Minister Hasam Mahmud placed the bill and it was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee. The committee was asked to submit its report within 60 days.The bill provides for recognising journalists in the media industry as employees instead of workers.
Also read: Parliament opens 17th session amid social distancingThe wage board will be applicable for journalists and employees of all the media outlets, including print and electronic, as per the proposed law.According to the bill the working hours for media employees will be 48 hours, while the casual leave will be for 15 days instead of 10 days and the earned leave will be 100 days instead of 60 days annually.Besides, the festival leave will be for 10 days in a year, recreation leave for 15 days instead of one month after every three years, and the maternity leave for six months in place of the existing eight weeks.If anyone or organisation violates the provisions of the bill, s/he will be fined Tk 50,000-Tk 500,000 lakh.On October 15, 2018, the cabinet cleared the draft ‘Mass Media Employees Act (Conditions of Service)’ at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Secretariat.
Also read: Speaker nominates panel chair of 17th JS sessionThe government will be able to cancel the licences or registration of the media. The owners of media outlets will also face punishment for violation of the proposed law.If anyone or any organisation violates the provisions of the bill, he/she will face monetary fine or imprisonment, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said.
3 journos injured while reporting on UP polls in Thakurgaon
Three journalists were seriously injured by some miscreants on Saturday while collecting news on upcoming UP elections in Thakurgaon.
The injured journalists are Tanvir Hossain Tanu, district correspondent of Independent television, Mainuddin Talukdar Himel, correspondent for RisingBD website, and Sohel Rana, correspondent of NewsBangla24 and Doinik Bhorer Akash.
According to witnesses, ahead of the Senua Union Parishad set to be held on February 7, candidate Motiur Rahman was conducting his election campaign in Molankhur Mandalpara.
Also read: Pre-poll violence: 1 killed, 12 hurt in Jamalpur
At one point some supporters of his rival candidate attacked the campaigners with arms and as the journalists went to take photos, the miscreants beat them up.
The journalists said their cameras, mobile phones were broken and moneybags were snatched during the attack.
Locals and other journalists rescued the three journalists and admitted them to Thakurgaon General Hospital.
Also read: Pre-poll violence leaves 3 injured in Ctg
Rakibul Alam Chayan, Resident Medical Officer of the hospital, said the injured received primary medications and further treatments will be provided after examining their physical condition.
Federal anti-terror unit investigated journalists
A special Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter, according to a federal watchdog.Yahoo News, which published an extensive report on the investigation, also found that the unit, the Counter Network Division, queried records of congressional staffers and perhaps members of Congress.Jeffrey Rambo, an agent who acknowledged running checks on journalists in 2017, told federal investigators the practice is routine. “When a name comes across your desk you run it through every system you have access too, that’s just status quo, that’s what everyone does,” Rambo was quoted by Yahoo News as saying.The AP obtained a redacted copy of a more than 500-page report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general that included the same statement, but with the speaker's name blacked out. The border protection agency is part of Homeland Security.
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The revelations raised alarm in news organizations and prompted a demand for a full explanation.
“We are deeply concerned about this apparent abuse of power," Lauren Easton, AP’s director of media relations, said in a statement. “This appears to be an example of journalists being targeted for simply doing their jobs, which is a violation of the First Amendment.”In its own statement, Customs and Border Protection did not specifically address the investigation, but said, “CBP vetting and investigatory operations, including those conducted by the Counter Network Division, are strictly governed by well-established protocols and best practices. CBP does not investigate individuals without a legitimate and legal basis to do so.”An employee at Storymakers Coffee Roasters, a small storefront shop Rambo owns in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood, said Saturday that Rambo was not immediately available to comment. He lives in San Diego.The new disclosures are just the latest examples of federal agencies using their power to examine the contacts of journalists and others.Earlier this year Attorney General Merrick Garland formally prohibited prosecutors from seizing the records of journalists in leak investigations, with limited exceptions, reversing years of department policy. That action came after an outcry over revelations that the Trump Justice Department had obtained records belonging to journalists, as well as Democratic members of Congress and their aides and a former White House counsel, Don McGahn.During the Obama administration, federal investigators secretly seized phone records for some reporters and editors at the AP. Those seizures involved office and home lines as well as cellphones.Rambo's and the unit's use of the databases was more extensive than previously known. The inspector general referred possible criminal charges for misusing government databases and lying to investigators, but the Justice Department declined to prosecute Rambo and two other Homeland Security employees.Rambo complained to Yahoo News that Customs and Border Protection has not stood by him and that he has been unfairly portrayed in news reports.“What none of these articles identify me as, is a law enforcement officer who was cleared of wrongdoing, who actually had a true purpose to be doing what I was doing,” he said, “and CBP refuses to acknowledge that, refuses to admit that, refuses to make that wrong right.”Rambo had previously been identified as the agent who accessed the travel records of reporter Ali Watkins, then working for Politico, and questioned her about confidential sources. Watkins now writes for The New York Times.Rambo was assigned to the border agency unit, part of the National Targeting Center in Sterling, Virginia, in 2017. He told investigators he initially approached Watkins as part of a broader effort to get reporters to write about forced labor around the world as a national security issue.He also described similar efforts with AP reporter Martha Mendoza, according to an unredacted summary obtained by Yahoo News. Rambo’s unit “was able to vet MENDOZA as a reputable reporter,” the summary said, before trying to establish a relationship with her because of her expertise in writing about forced labor. Mendoza won her second Pulitzer Prize in 2016 as part of a team that reported on slave labor in the fishing industry in Southeast Asia.
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Dan White, Rambo’s supervisor in Washington, told investigators that his unit ran Mendoza through multiple databases, and “CBP discovered that one of the phone numbers on Mendoza’s phone was connected with a terrorist,” Yahoo News reported. White's case also was referred for prosecution and declined.In response, AP’s Easton said, “The Associated Press demands an immediate explanation from U.S. Customs and Border Protection as to why journalists including AP investigative reporter Martha Mendoza were run through databases used to track terrorists and identified as potential confidential informant recruits.”It was Rambo's outreach to Watkins that led to the inspector general's investigation. While he ostensibly sought her out to further his work on forced labor, Rambo quickly turned the focus to a leak investigation. Rambo even gave it a name, "Operation Whistle Pig," for the brand of whiskey he drank when he met Watkins at a Washington, D.C., bar in June 2017.The only person charged and convicted stemming from Rambo's efforts is James Wolfe, a former security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee who had a personal relationship with Watkins. Wolfe pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with reporters.In the course of conversations with FBI agents, Rambo was questioned extensively about his interest in Watkins. He used the travel records to confront her about her relationship with Wolfe, asserting that Wolfe was her source for stories. Watkins acknowledged the relationship, but insisted Wolfe did not provide information for her stories.Rambo said Watkins was not the only reporter whose records he researched through government databases, though he maintained in his interviews with the FBI that he was looking only at whether Wolfe was providing classified information. Rambo said he “conducted CBP record checks” on "15 to 20 national security reporters," according to a FBI summary of the questioning that was contained in the inspector general's report.New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades-Ha said new details about the investigation of Watkins raised fresh concerns."We are deeply troubled to learn how U.S. Customs and Border Protection ran this investigation into a journalist’s sources. As the attorney general has said clearly, the government needs to stop using leak investigations as an excuse to interfere with journalism. It is time for Customs and Border Protection to make public a full record of what happened in this investigation so this sort of improper conduct is not repeated.”Watkins said she, too, was “deeply troubled at the lengths CBP and DHS personnel apparently went to try and identify journalistic sources and dig into my personal life. It was chilling then, and it remains chilling now.”
UN for investigating, prosecuting crimes against journalists, media workers
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Member States and the international community to stand in solidarity with journalists around the world and to demonstrate the political will needed to investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists and media workers with the full force of the law.
"Today, on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we commemorate the legacy and achievements of journalists killed in the line of duty, and call for justice for crimes committed against them," he said in a message marking the day on Tuesday.
Also read: Adaptation prog can help 10m more vulnerable people in Asia-Pacific: UN
Last year, according to UNESCO, 62 journalists around the world were killed just for doing their jobs.
Many lost their lives while covering conflict. But in recent years, the number of media workers killed outside conflict zones has risen, said the UN chief.
"In many countries, simply investigating corruption, trafficking, human rights violations or environmental issues puts journalists’ lives at risk," he said.
Impunity for killing journalists is extremely high. According to UNESCO, almost 9 out of 10 cases go unpunished.
Also read: UNDP, BDF launch “Youth Against Corruption” campaign
And journalists face countless other threats – ranging from kidnapping, torture and arbitrary detention to disinformation campaigns and harassment, particularly in the digital sphere. Women journalists are at particular risk of online violence, Guterres said.
Crimes against journalists have an enormous impact on society as a whole, because they prevent people from making informed decisions, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the shadow pandemic of misinformation, has demonstrated that access to facts and science is literally a matter of life and death.
"When access to information is threatened, it sends a disturbing message that undermines democracy and the rule of law," said the UN chief.
Poets, artists, journos unite against communal violence in Bangladesh
Over 200 poets, writers, artists and journalists on Tuesday staged a protest in the capital against the recent communal violence in Bangladesh.
The protesters gathered outside Bangladesh National Museum in Shahbagh in the afternoon and demanded that the perpetrators of the communal attacks in various parts of the country, including Rangpur and Cumilla, be brought to justice.
Their eight-point demands also included taking prompt steps to prevent communal and sexist remarks on social media.
The protest was anchored by recitation artist Shahadat Hossain Nipu. Also present were writer Anisul Haque, filmmaker Amitabh Reza, poet Chanchal Ashraf, journalist Ahmad Mostafa Kamal, writer Jharna Rahman, filmmaker Masud Pathik, actor Moutushi Biswas, poet Tokon Tagore, and author-journalist Humayun Kabir Dhali.
Speakers at the protest site claimed that the recent communal violence was nothing but a conspiracy, based on the rumours that the Holy Quran had been disrespected at a puja mandap in Cumilla.
"It has become clear to us that similar occurrences are occurring as a result of the government's impunity culture. We've seen in the past how the Hindu and Buddhist communities have been targeted and attacked purposefully based on false rumours spread on social media, none of which has been thoroughly examined and the culprits have not been brought to punishment," the speakers said.
"Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony. In 1971, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians of all faiths fought side by side and made Bangladesh independent; but in the last 50 years after independence, every government has abandoned the spirit of the Liberation War to go to power by colluding with communal forces or to go to shameless competition for power. Article 32 of the constitution has given way to the formation of religion-based political parties," they alleged.
Renowned writer Swakrito Noman raised eight-point demands at the event, on behalf of the organisers.
The demands include identifying the communal attackers in different parts of the country centring on this year's Durga Puja and arresting and prosecuting them immediately; identifying the real reasons behind the communal attacks in Ramu, Nasirnagar, Shalla, Cumilla, Hajiganj, Noakhali and Rangpur; taking steps to stop communal and misogynistic statements on social media including Facebook, YouTube and Waz Mahfil; and the abolition of 'state religion' from the Constitution.
Chittagong Journalists Forum Dhaka: Mamun new president, Tawhid GS
Mamun Abdullah of Ajker Patrika and Tawhidur Rahman of ETV have been elected the president and general secretary of the Chittagong Journalists Forum Dhaka (CJFD) for the next one year.
The committee was formed at the 20th Annual General Meeting of the CJFD held in the capital Friday.
A three-member Election Commission, led by senior journalist Anis Alamgir, conducted the committee formation process.
Earlier, outgoing CJFD general secretary Morshed Noman and treasurer Tawhidur Rahman presented their annual reports at the meeting.
Also, Shibu Kanti Das (Purbakon) has been picked as vice-president, Rishad Huda (independent TV) joint secretary, Momena Akhter Popy (Bangladesher Khabor) finance secretary, Mohammad Naimuddin (Rising BD) office, publicity and publication secretary Iqbal Karim Nishan (GTV) and sports and cultural secretary.
The executive committee members are Saif Islam Dilal (ETV), Saim Tipu (Kaler Kantho), Mujib Masud (Jugantor), Shahed Siddiqui (Independent TV), Shamim Jahangir (Daily Sun), and Morshed Noman (The Business Standard).
UNB Editor Mahfuzur Rahman, former CJFD GS Enamul Haque and Santosh Sharma were also present at the meeting conducted by Morshed Noman.
Masumur Rahman Khalili, Mesbahuddin Jongi, Md Mustafa Kamal, Shahinul Islam Chowdury, Anup Khastagir, Saif Islam Dilal, Saim Tipu, Fahim Ahmed, Shamim Jahangir, and Mamun Abdullah were also present.
Journalists from Philippines, Russia get Nobel Peace Prize
Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their fight for freedom of expression in countries where media outlets have faced persistent attacks.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee stressed that an independent press is vital in promoting peace.
“Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the committee, explaining why the prize was awarded to two journalists.
Read:Tanzanian Abdulrazak Gurnah awarded Nobel literature prize
“Without freedom of expression and freedom of the press, it will be difficult to successfully promote fraternity between nations, disarmament and a better world order to succeed in our time," she said.
Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news website that has focused “critical attention on the (President Rodrigo) Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign,” the Nobel committee said.
She and Rappler “have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.”
Reacting to the news, Ressa told Norway’s TV2 channel that “the government (of the Philippines) will obviously not be happy,”
“I’m a little shocked. It’s really emotional," she added. “But I am happy on behalf of my team and would like to thank the Nobel Committee for recognizing what we are going through.”
The award-winning journalist was last year convicted of libel and sentenced to jail in a decision seen as a major blow to press global freedom. She was the first woman to win a Nobel this year.
Muratov was one of the founders of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta in 1993.
“Novaya Gazeta is the most independent newspaper in Russia today, with a fundamentally critical attitude towards power,” the Nobel committee said.
“The newspaper’s fact-based journalism and professional integrity have made it an important source of information on censurable aspects of Russian society rarely mentioned by other media,” it added.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 17 media workers were killed in the Philippines in the last decade and 23 in Russia.
The Nobel committee noted that since the launch of Novaya Gazeta, six of its journalists have been killed, among them Anna Politkovskaya who covered Russia’s bloody conflict in Chechnya.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Muratov as a “talented and brave” person.
“We can congratulate Dmitry Muratov — he has consistently worked in accordance with his ideals,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
Reiss-Andersen noted that the peace prize has gone to journalists in the past, including Ernesto Teodoro Moneta of Italy who was cited in 1907 “for his work in the press and in peace meetings.”
In 1935, German journalist Carl von Ossietzky was awarded the prize “for his burning love for freedom of thought and expression” after revealing that the Nazi regime was secretly re-arming in breach of the World War I peace accord.
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Ressa has been particularly critical also of the role of tech companies such as Facebook in manipulating public debate, and their failure to curb hate speech.
Speaking on Rappler's site after the award was announced, Ressa said that the “virus of lies that has been introduced through the algorithms of the social media platforms, it infects real people and changes.”
Jatiya Press Club gears up to celebrate anniversary
The Jatiya Press Club (JPC), passionately called as the ‘Second Home’ by its members, has taken up various programmes to celebrate its 67th founding anniversary after a hiatus of one year due to the pandemic.
JPC acting general secretary Mainul Alam unveiled the two-week programme at a views-exchange meeting with journalists at an auditorium of the club on Monday.
He said the programmes will begin on October 6 with a meeting remembering 34 club members who died over the last one year.
Read: JPC condemns BFIU as it seeks bank account details of 11 journalists
As part of other programmes, Mainul said, an eye camp will be held on October 7 on the club premises, followed by Shishu Ananda Mela on October 8 and 9, chess competition on October 10 and 11, an air-gun shooting competition on October 12 and spades trump competition on October 13 and 14.
Besides, he said, Ludo competition for female members will take place on October 14, table tennis on October 16 and 17 and mini-marathon in the early morning of October 20 and a cultural function on the same day in the evening.
The participants of Shishu Ananda Mela and sports competitions will have to ensure their entries into the competitions by October 6.
Speaking at the programme, JPC President Farida Yasmin said they could not arrange elaborate programmes last year, rather than arranging a memorial meeting, to celebrate the 66th founding anniversary of the club due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have had a miserable time over the last two years due to the pandemic. Our children have gotten fed up with staying at home for a long time. The children and spouses of our members are eagerly waiting to join the founding anniversary programmes. As the Covid situation is relatively better, we’ve decided to mark the event this time with various programmes,” she said.
The JPC president said they will arrange all the programmes maintaining social distancing and health safety rules as the virus is yet to be eliminated.
Read: Jatiya Press Club announces 67th anniversary programmes
She said 34 JPC members died over the last one year since October 11. “So, we’re passing through a very painful and sad time. But we’ve to move ahead amid such a bad time.”
Farida said the media sector has been growing through a crisis period like all other sectors, but the situation is improving and media outlets are trying to stay afloat overcoming all the difficulties.
She said they want to turn the JPC into a more dignified institution so that it can help the journalists enhance their professional skills.
The JPC president said they have already held various programmes, including seminars, to develop the skills of journalists.
She said they will celebrate Bangabandhu's birth centenary and the golden jubilee of independence in a grand manner in December, the month of victory.
MoU with Press Club of India
Farida said the Jatiya Press Club and the Press Club of India, Delhi have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase mutual cooperation among the journalists of the two neighbouring countries.
Read:Farida Yasmin becomes first female President of Jatiya Press Club
As per the MoU, she said, JPC members will be able to use the facilities of the Press Club of India while their members can use all the JPC facilities during their visits.
Besides, the JPC president said, various reciprocal programmes will be taken to enhance the cooperation between the members of the two clubs.
She said both the clubs will jointly organise training and various other programmes for enhancing the professional efficiency of journalists.
World needs journalists more than ever: Mia Seppo
UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo on Sunday said the world needs journalists more than ever to bring out truth while effectively dealing with the life-threatening misinformation.
“It’s ironic that in a moment with most access to information there’s an avalanche of life-threatening misinformation out there,” she said.
The UN official said the journalists have the responsibility to bring out truth, spread science-based facts that save lives, protect people and ensure rights. “That’s the power of your pen. Use that power as a force for good.”
The UN Resident Coordinator was addressing the “DCAB Talk” organized by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the Foreign Service Academy.
Also read: UN to provide electoral assistance to Bangladesh if requested: Mia Seppo
DCAB President Pantho Rahaman and its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the “DCAB Talk” where UNRC Mia shared UN views on Rohingya and Afghanistan crises, issues related to Bhasan Char, climate change, sustainable and inclusive Covid recovery, Digital Security Act (DSA), gender issues and cooperation framework.
Mia said reports from journalists can help educate and clarify perceptions; as well as reconcile people and inspire patriotism.
No worries about bank account details of journalists: Minister
Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said journalist leaders have no reason to be worried about their bank account details sought by Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU).
Speaking at the annual general meeting (AGM) of a faction of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), the minister also said the government is trying to bring discipline in the mass media by removing various problems.
Dr Hasan said he tried to look into the matter after seeing a report in the newspaper on seeking bank account details of 11 journalist leaders by the BFIU.
"The government can of course seek bank account details of anybody for any reason. But I don't think there's any reason to be worried about it. I know those whose bank account details have been sought. I also know the financial condition of many of them,” he said.
The DUJ’s AGM was held at the Jatiya Press Club with its president Quddus Afrad in the chair.
The BFIU of the Bangladesh Bank issued letters to the commercial banks asking for details of bank accounts of 11 journalist leaders last week.
The ministers said journalists themselves demanded removing chaos in the mass media and he is trying to do it in consultation with media persons. “This process is going on, and discipline has already been restored in many cases.”
Read: JPC condemns BFIU as it seeks bank account details of 11 journalists
He said the government is going to enforce the existing laws in the country so that foreign channels cannot show any advertisement without permission from October next.
Dr Hasan said they are also trying to ensure discipline in the case of IP TV as its registration process will start very soon.
About journalists’ concern about the Digital Security Act, he said this law has been enacted to ensure digital security to all people of the country. “There’re such laws all over the world, including in our neighbouring countries. Even, there’re tougher laws there.”
The minister said journalists or anyone else can get redress under this law if they are subjected to character assassination digitally. “So, the Digital Security Act is needed. At the same time, it should be ensured that this law does not hinder the professional duty of journalists.”
Speaking at the programme, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said those who engaged in the great profession of journalism have a deep responsibility and duty towards the country and the nation.
He called upon the journalists to brighten the country’s image in the international arena through depicting the real scenario of the country through objective journalism.