Awami League chief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has pledged to make arrangements so that journalists do not face torture, intimidation or false cases, if her party is elected in the next general election on January 7.
“As per the newly enacted law, the Cyber Security Act, the privacy and information of individuals will be protected, and appropriate measures will continue to be taken to prevent misuse,” she said while announcing the party's election manifesto at a Dhaka hotel on Wednesday.
She said financial and medical assistance to journalists will be further extended under the Journalist Welfare Trust, while the process of forming the 10th Wage Board for journalists is underway.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has ensured the free flow of information and freedom of media. “In the 1996-2001 tenure, we were the first to open television and radio to the private sector,” she said.
Mass media has developed tremendously in the last 15 years, and the number of newspapers in the country is now 3,241, while 33 private TV channels, 23 FM radio channels and 18 community radio stations are currently broadcasting, she added.
