Not solely has the regime modified within the neighbouring area of India, however there has additionally been an entire transition in Bangladesh. The violent protests might have ended, however there are nonetheless folks on the streets. College students from the anti-discrimination protest group demanding justice and prosecution of the cops accountable resorted to fireplace, ensuing within the demise of a number of college students, whereas the minority Hindu group is protesting to demand safety and justice for themselves.
A transition can be going down within the nation’s communication ecosystem. From one protest to a different, no matter political events and teams, it may be learn in each newspaper and new tales will be seen on each new tv channel.
It appears like enterprise as normal for any democratic nation, however Bangladeshi journalists are calling it extraordinary and calling it a “breath of recent air.”
Bangladeshi journalists now be at liberty to put in writing an article after Sheikh Hasina’s departure. The change has additionally modified the way in which the media in Bangladesh works, they are saying.
Shaukat Mahmood, former president of the Nationwide Press Membership of Dhaka, advised India Immediately: “Actually, the way in which of working within the media has modified. Earlier, main media homes have been run by Awami League supporters. There was self-censorship and a authorities ban usually imposed underneath the brand new cybercrime regulation, which was a draconian and harmful regulation, and over 200 journalists have been arrested within the final 15 years underneath this regulation in the course of the Haseena regime.”
Shaukat says the Prime Minister’s workplace was solely open to like-minded journalists, and others have been banned from even protecting press conferences. “We skilled a interval that by no means occurred in Bangladesh: the portals and on-line channels of many newspapers have been closed as a result of the federal government’s communications authorities merely minimize off transmission and the intelligence workforce usually intimidated journalists; the intelligence authorities had digital management over the media,” he mentioned.
Throughout the current anti-discrimination protests organised by college students throughout Bangladesh in opposition to the Sheikh Hasina regime, a number of information channels and media retailers additionally got here underneath assault. The offended mob attacked Bangladesh Channel 71, Somoy TV, ATN Information and some others. They not solely ransacked the places of work but in addition set whole buildings on hearth.
The media personnel in Dhaka say that they’re now free to put in writing and specific no matter they need, which has modified and so they haven’t witnessed any authorities interference thus far, which is a very new expertise for them in Bangladesh within the final 15 years.
SM Rashidul Islam, particular correspondent for the nationwide information company BSS, says: “The state of affairs is completely completely different now. Journalists underneath the earlier regime weren’t allowed to put in writing in regards to the details. The media would disguise the details, ignore the reality and solely report on the federal government’s agenda. Intelligence businesses would name journalists by social media, ask them to delete their posts and threaten them. We might cowl opposition developments, however there have been restrictions on protection that was vital of the federal government and its insurance policies.”
Rashidul Islam says: “With this modification and interim authorities, I really feel like I’m respiratory recent air.”
Bangladesh had a digital safety regulation that was lately transformed into a brand new cyber regulation and journalists consider it was used solely to comprise data vital of Sheikh Hasina’s authorities.
SM Jahangir of the Monetary Categorical, who works as an editor-in-chief in Dhaka, says: “If anybody publishes an unique story criticising the regime, the federal government will attempt to suppress it when requested for feedback. We are actually working freely with none stress from any quarter, however we’ll see what occurs subsequent. The previous couple of years have been troublesome for us by way of working and reporting.”
In a broader sense of the time period, there’s a perception within the press that at this level there is no such thing as a interference or any type of stress from the interim authorities on them and for now they will write reviews freely and with none worry.
Aside from nationwide tv, the emergence of latest personal tv channels is one thing new within the nation. There are 26 personal satellite tv for pc channels that embrace information and programmes. 1,400 members of Dhaka’s media are registered within the press membership. The Dhaka journalists’ unity group has almost 2,500 registered journalists.
Mahfuz Alam, editor-in-chief of Dhaka’s largest English-language newspaper, mentioned: “Sheikh Hasina’s authorities handed 9 legal guidelines, together with a digital safety regulation, which was later transformed right into a cyber regulation underneath which police might arrest any journalist even at midnight. Cartoonists have been additionally arrested and died in police custody. The regime has cracked down on the media.”
The protesting pupil group can be reaching out to the media and telling completely different tales. The sense of worry in the course of the protest is disappearing. From younger journalists to the senior members of the journalist fraternity, everybody feels a way of freedom to report and write and extra importantly, they consider that they even have the correct to dissent.
