Journalists and the media divided in Bangladesh?

By Anwar Hossain; It is very unfortunate that Journalism is threatened in Bangladesh with its worst case scenario. And media outlets are self censored based on party ideologies. Both authority and fundamentalist party activists continuously threatening, attacking on the media outlets and journalists in Bangladesh. 

Under these circumstances the unity of the journalist organizations again fall apart which was re-united after the killing of two television journalists Sagor Sarwar and Mehrun Runi.

Journalists urged to stop attack on media.

By Bangladesh Media;  The daily star published a report, urging about to stop attacks on Media. In a heading "Stop attacks on Media" the daily star wrote that -"Condemning the recent attacks on newsmen and desecration of the national flag and Shaheed Minars by religious fanatics, journalist leaders yesterday demanded exemplary punishment to the attackers."

"If there is any further attack on journalists and media from the defeated forces of 1971, they [attackers] will be resisted with full strength," Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, president of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), told a rally before the Jatiya Press Club, the daily star wrote.

The Economist journalists got extended time to reply show-cause.

The Daily Star reports that The International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Bangladesh yesterday extended time until March 4 for two journalists of The Economist to reply to a show-cause notice it had issued earlier.

The three-member tribunal headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir fixed the new date following a time petition from the counsel of the two journalists.

The tribunal on December 6 last year served the notice on Chief Editor Rob Gifford and South Asia Bureau Chief Adam Roberts of the British magazine asking them to reply within three weeks why proceedings under section 11 (4) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973, would not be taken against them.

Two journalists of The Economist get show-cause notice.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) working in Bangladesh, yesterday served a notice on two journalists of The Economist -- Chief Editor Rob Gifford and South Asia Bureau Chief Adam Roberts.

It asked the duo to reply within three weeks why proceedings under 11(4) of International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 shall not be taken against them.

Full text of Bangladesh Press Council Judgment on the petition by Prothom Alo against Kaler Kantho

MR. Matiur Rahman,

editor and publisher of the daily Prothom Alo and director Media Star Ltd had filed a complaint to the effect that the daily Kaler Kantha by publishing an objectionable, false and concocted news on 10 May titled "Matiur Rahman tried to save the kingpin Tajuddin" in its first page as headline, has denigrated his personal and family reputation and status.

He complained that by publishing the news under that heading as the lead news on the first page in the daily Kaler Kantho the newspaper has defamed him as an individual, socially, mentally and also from the point of view of religion. He claimed that he is an eminent and well established person in the profession of journalism, and the defendant, without any provocation and rationale, and instigated by a particular quarter, by publishing false, bogus, baseless, outrageous, insulting and spurious news, has tried not only to harm the reputation, respect and impartial status of his and his newspaper the daily Prothom Alo but has also put him immensely in an adverse and unpleasant situation socially.