Referring to the multifaceted initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in the development of mass media, the Minister of Broadcasting Dr. Hasan Mahmud said, in 2009 there were 450 newspapers and now the number is 1250. There were 10 televisions, now 38 are on air, with a few more to come on air. Online media has grown exponentially and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has formed a welfare trust for journalists from which we are providing support to journalists as well as family members of poor journalists.
Information Minister and Joint General Secretary of Awami League also said to the media, ‘We want to take the country forward, we want to take the country to the destination of dreams by correcting all the mistakes. That is why we need the help of media. You must point out our mistakes, but we owe it to the media to present the achievements as they should be publicized.’
He made this call in a welcome speech at the Bangladesh Awami League leaders’ exchange meeting with newspaper editors, TV channel news editors, journalist organization leaders and senior media personalities at Samson H Hall of Dhaka Club in the capital on Wednesday evening at the invitation of the Information Minister.
Awami League General Secretary Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader addressed the meeting as the chief guest.
The information minister said that media is the mirror of society. Media can, and does, help society think right. Mass media can, and does, steer society in the right direction. If the mass media tries to give wrong message to the society. We definitely want you to point out our mistakes. At the same time, the country that has changed today, the country that is praised by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President and the Vice President of the World Bank, in the midst of this global pandemic, in the world at war, in the world recession, does not often come out in the newspapers in a big way. But when someone says something negative, it is seen that in some cases it comes out in a big way in the newspaper or is presented on television. We need your help in this regard.
Regarding the government’s mistakes, he said, no government in the world can claim that it has done 100% accurate work in the past or will do it in the future. We certainly have mistakes, but if those mistakes are magnified and achievements are minimized, then the true picture of society will not be revealed. Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina has been running the country for 14 years and as a result today Bangladesh has risen to new heights, transforming from a food deficit country to a food surplus country. From least developed countries to middle income countries. Our per capita income has surpassed that of India even during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Hasan said, ‘We want the help of the media because the media is the fourth pillar of the state and without the help of the media, the foundation of a multi-dimensional, democratic, debate and justice-based social system cannot be deeply rooted. One thing surely everyone will admit – People’s leader Sheikh Hasina is the embodiment of democracy, liberation war and Bengali spirit in this country. She has no alternative in Bangladesh to protect democracy, liberation war and Bengali culture in this country. If the strength of the supporters of the liberation war is lost in the country, then we need to keep in our thoughts that who will take their place.
Advisory Council Members of’ Awami League Dr. Abdur Razzaq, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Shajahan Khan, Mozaffar Hossain, Organizing Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain, Sakhawat Hossain Shafiq, Treasurer HN Ashiqur Rahman Chowdhury, Information and Research Secretary Dr. Salim Mahmud, Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, Deputy Propaganda Secretary Aminul Islam Amin and others were present in the meeting.
Among the journalist leaders The National Press Club President Farida Yasmin, BFU Former President Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, BFU Current President Omar Farooq, Secretary General Deep Azad, Media Personality Subhash Singh Roy, DUJ President Sohel Haider Chowdhury, General Secretary Aktar Hossain, DRU President Nazrul Islam Mithu, General Secretary Nurul Islam Hasib, Broadcast Journalist Center President Rezwanul Haque Raza, BSRF President Tapan Biswas and others were present in the meeting.
Among the mass media personalities who joined the program were the Press Council Chairman Justice Nijamul Haque; PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim; BSS Chief Edidor Abul Kalam Azad; The Daily Observer Editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, The Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, The Daily Ittefaq Editor Tasmima Hossain, The Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Nayeem Nijam, The advisory Director of The Kalbela Abed Khan, Editor Santosh Sharma, The Ajker Patrika Editor Golam Rahman, Chief Editor of Ekattor TV Mozammel Babu, The Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, The Amader Notun Somoy Editor Naimul Islam Khan, The New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, The Daily Sun Editor Enamul Haque Chowdhury, The Kaler Kantho Editor Shahed Muhammad Ali, The Vorer Kagoj Editor Shyamol Dutt, Thev ManabJamin Chief Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Channel I Editor Shaikh Siraj, Global TV Chief Executive Syed Ishtiaq Reza
Chief executive of DBC News TV Md. Manjurul Islam, Deepta TV Chief Executive Fuad Ahmed Chowdhury, Ekushey TV Chief Executive Pijush Bandopadhyay, BanglaVision Chief Editor Dr. Abdul Hai Siddique, Nexus TV Chief Executive Mohammad Sanaullah, News Executive Editor Shahriar Karim, Samakal Acting Editor Mozammel Hossain, Globe Janakanth Group Chief Executive Zeenat Zerin Altaf, Kavi Dr. Tariq Sujat, writer Anisul Haque, Managing Director of Journalist Welfare Trust Subhash Chand Badal, Bangladesh Post Editor Sharif Shahabuddin, Asian Age Editor Dr. Jasmin Chowdhury, Bangladesh Today Editor Md. Zobair Alam, Pratidin Bangladesh Editor Mustafiz Shafi, Country Transformation Acting Editor Mustafa Mamun, Naya Digant Editor Alamgir Mohiuddin, Sangbad Sarabella Editor Abdul Majid, Khola Kagoz Managing Editor Monir Hossain, Bangladesh Samachar Editor Dr. Khan Asaduzzaman, Our economy editor Nasima Khan Monty, executive editor Masuda Bhatti, daily industry editor Dr. Enayet Karim and others. Waliur Rahman Miraj and Qadir Kallol joined from BBC Bangla.
BDNews Editor-in-Chief Toufiq Imroz Khalidi, BanglaNews Editor Jewel Mazhar, JagoNews Editor KM Ziaul Haque, Bangla Tribune Editor Zulfikar Russell, SaraBanglad.net Editor Badrul Alam Khan, Dhaka Prakash Editor-in-Chief Mustafa Kamal and others joined from the online media.