The Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (Noab) has expressed deep concerns over the incident of a demonstration that took place in front of an editor’s house in Chittagong.
A press release, signed by the organization’s President AK Azad, was issued in this regard on Monday.
Members of the Chittagong Union of Journalists (CUJ), on July 29, laid a siege to the house of Dainik Azadi Editor MA Malek to meet some demands.
This resulted in the shutdown of five local newspapers which are yet to resume publication.
Noab believes that CUJ demonstrating in front of the editor’s house instead of protesting at the Chittagong Press Club or the respective newspaper’s office is unprecedented, said the release.
They also termed the incident as “unwanted” and “unfortunate.”
The country’s newspaper industry, not only in Chittagong but also in Dhaka, has fallen into an unprecedented financial crisis due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Significant sums of money are owed to the newspapers by various government departments, agencies, corporations, and divisions, read the release.
The revenue earned and the circulation made by the newspapers have decreased significantly during this crisis. Many newspapers operating in the capital and other parts of Bangladesh had to reduce the number of pages published for survival. Some even stopped publication and now just have their newspaper’s online version, added the release.
It is sad but true that different sectors got incentives amid the pandemic but none of Noab’s five-point demands were met in this year’s national budget, read the release.
Mentioning that publication of newspapers is a joint effort by the owners and the journalists, Noab said: “Compassion and cooperation are imperative for the continuation of newspaper publication during this crisis.”
Noab hoped that with the help of everyone, the stagnation surrounding the newspaper in Chittagong will soon be resolved.
