Nadeem Qadir’s article “Media madhouse” (DT, October 24) raised valid points about the result of the mushroom growth of media outlets in Bangladesh. Nadeem bhai, as I call him, rightly raised the issue of ownership pattern that is largely affecting the healthy growth of this particular sector in Bangladesh.
Journalists who are to really enjoy freedom of expression to serve the people are deprived of many rights, including, as he said, their right to stay alive. The reason is that the media world here is occupied by people who command many other vested interests in society in the name of journalism. If we try to focus on the thrills and grief of contemporary Bangladesh news media, I think we will see pleasure on one hand, and regret on the other.
The pleasure is that the media in Bangladesh is the direct result of the people’s democratic movement. Till 1991, Bangladesh’s journalist community tried their best to be with people, irrespective of their political affiliations.
But the division in the journalist’s union in line with the political ideology of some of the union leaders threw the entire community and the profession into serious difficulty. The journalist union has two wings – one supports the Awami League and likeminded parties, and the other supports BNP, Jamaat, and similar parties. Due to this division, audience and readers also judge media houses and even top-ranking newspersons from party contexts.
There is a trend of vibrancy in media here that shows a reflection of the country’s stage of development, its economic growth, upward mobility, social possibility etc. This enthusiasm is not always matched by the quality of journalism. Many media houses rely on inexpensive young talent who fail to sustain in the profession and leave after a few years.
Owners are less interested in developing institutional set up, as they grabbed licences to support their business and political interests only. Professional standards that come out of the careful nurturing of promising journalists are rare.
Nadeem Qadir tried to critically analyse the implications of the buoyant growth story. Bangladesh’s satellite television channels continue to be in growth mode. There is a huge appetite for news and opinions. But the mass media in Bangladesh is still a class media that remains largely busy with coverage of events and issues in Dhaka and other big cities. News items on top leaders in government and opposition influence news and editorial coverage.
There are many good things in our media world. Some are investigative reports to expose political corruption, ministerial misconduct, and government misdeeds. In fact, corruption, in its tremendous scale, presents limitless investigative opportunities to our news media. But the problem is that good journalists cannot continue long here, as media houses do not move with an institutional approach.
When the economy is not moving as expected, the economics of both print and broadcast media hardens, gradually. The advertising market has tightened in the last few years. It has taken its toll in the media growth story. Many of our advertisements are now seen in Indian channels, giving a signal that the local channels are going to be dried up soon.
We are talking about digital form of media. Newspapers are trying hard to be online in addition to their print versions. TV stations are also going for real time live on the Internet. But these are yet to yield a viable revenue and business model for our media houses.
We know this is a digital time, and journalism is changing fast. But do we really care about this? Newspapers (maybe there are exceptions) are not thinking about new techniques through readership surveys.
The same goes for TV stations. There is no real push to learn these new skills that are so vital to the digital age. Media house owners and also top-notch journalist leaders do not make efforts to go for scientific audience surveys about the way digital technologies are transforming the media.
Institutional setup and corporate governance is not an option for the media owners here, although Bangladesh’s media houses are great advocates of good governance in their editorials and talk shows. The tradition of a strong and assertive political press has continued into four decades of independence.
Today, satellite television competes with newspapers aggressively, and often breathlessly, in trying to influence the political agenda of persons, parties, and groups.
Journalism here is facing increasing pressure from the owners, advertisers, marketing personnel, corporate houses, and even senior journalists to present and prioritise news in line with their sectarian interests, rather than highlight the reality prevailing in the country.
It is likely that the freedom of the news media will come under further pressure and threat, unless they move briskly to set their house in order. They need to understand that governance and responsible operation are more than slogans.