Journalist leaders urged the government to ease the suffering of getting a passport, saying it is the right of every citizen. They made the call at an Iftar party organised by the Passport and Immigration Reporters Forum (PIRF) at a restaurant in the capital's Paltan on Thursday. Speaking at the programme, Saiful Alam, editor of Jugantar and former president of the National Press Club, said that every citizen needs to have a passport. But, it’s important to get passports without a hassle. PIRF is working as a bridge between the passport seekers and the department by pointing out various inconsistencies of the authorities concerned, said Shafiqul Karim ex-president of Dhaka Reporters Unity. Read: Cabinet clears draft laws on rural academies in Jamalpur and Rangpur President of PIRF Ashaduzzaman presided over the function while General Secretary Ataur Rahman conducted it. Farid Hossain, editor of UNB, Akhtar Hossain, general secretary of Dhaka Journalists Union, Manoj Kanti Roy, former managing editor of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Nazrul Islam Mithu, president of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), Asaduzzaman Biku, general secretary of Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association (CRAB) and Razu Ahmed, former general secretary of DRU were also present on the occasion.

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.  

Three journalists have received the ActionAid Young Journalist Media Award 2021 and four other journalists received fellowships. The awards were handed over at a program arranged by Action Aid Bangladesh at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) auditorium on Sunday. READ: ActionAid celebrates 38 years in Bangladesh with exhibition, discussion Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud attended the program as chief guest and former Chief Information Commissioner Professor Dr. Md. Golam Rahman, chair of the event, announced the names of the winners. Md. Iqbal Hossain, Reporter of Bangladesh Television (BTV) under journalism for promoting youth leadership for social transformation category; Miftahul Zannat, Deputy Managing Editor of The Dhaka Apologue under journalism for promoting youth responsive accountable public services category, Md. Sharful Alam, Senior Reporter of ATN Bangla under journalism for promoting decent work and economic opportunities for young people were awarded for their excellent reports. Besides, Babu Kamruzzaman, Staff Correspondent of News 24; Nilima Jahan, Reporter of the Daily Star; M Yousuf Ali, Jahangirnagar University Correspondent of the daily Jugantor; Satej Chakma, Chief Reporter of IPNEWS BD got fellowships respectively. Dr Hasan Mahmud said, “With the third eye, a journalist can identify the community's concerns and challenges for making effective solutions. There are many people in the society for whom no one thinks about, who cannot speak about their rights whereas journalists give them courage, dream, and voice for their rights.” He urged the next generation of young journalists to take the responsibility of carrying out quality reporting and news investigation. He also called for organizing special pages for children in the newspapers as well as highlighting issues that the state, society, and government do not pay attention to. Awardee Miftahul Zannat said, “People are talking about human rights and raising questions which sounds very hopeful to me. We should put more emphasis on these issues. I believe this award will help me create more responsible reports.” READ: Climate migration in Bangladesh may increase 7-fold by 2050: ActionAid An independent jury panel including A. A. Munir Hasan, Head, Youth Programme, The Daily Prothom Alo; Borhanul Haque Shamrat, Senior News Editor, News 24; Dr Nazneen Ahmed, Country Economist at UNDP went through the reports and selected the winners.

A case has been filed against three people, including the editor of a local daily newspaper and its joint editor, under the Digital Security Act.   Sabuj Hossain, nephew of the former MP Makbul Hossain of Gangni-2 constituency, filed the case at Gangni Police Station on Wednesday night, said Obaidur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the police station.   Yeadul Momin, editor of ‘Daily Meherpur’ and also the district correspondent of ‘Kaler Kantho’, its joint editor Al Amin and publisher ASM Emon were among the accused.   According to case statement, a report titled ‘house occupied by MP Makbul for 26 years’ on the daily newspaper ‘Daily Meherpur’was published on May 11.   Contacted, the Editor and joint editor said the case was filed against them with the aim of harassing them and in a bid to scare the media people.

Leaders of a faction of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) on Sunday  submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal demanding a stop to filing of motivated cases against journalists as well as attacks during the course of conducting their nprofession activities.

The Supreme Court on Sunday upheld its earlier order staying a High Court order for maintaining a status quo for two months on implementing the recommendations of the 9th Wage Board for journalists, clearing the way for its implementation.