It is deeply unsettling that several journalists were attacked and injured in the melee that took place between opposition party supporters and law enforcement personnel in the capital’s Kakrail on Saturday.
A number of reporters and journalists were attacked in broad daylight while they were simply doing their job of trying to provide coverage of the clashes: A correspondent of the Dainik Kalbela, Md Rafsanjani, was assaulted while he was recording footage of an assault on a law enforcer; while Dhaka Tribune’s own photojournalist Mahmud Hossain Opu sustained injuries when a brick was hurled at him -- among many others
A free press is the cornerstone of any democracy as it serves as the eyes and ears of the public and holds accountable those in power while providing a platform for voices unheard. When political parties think it is ok to prevent journalists from doing their job, by injuring them or otherwise, it exposes the brand of politics that they subscribe to.
Given the tense political climate surrounding the upcoming elections, the importance of impartial, unimpeded journalism has never been higher. Which is why this can be considered something of a plea, not just to the opposition but the ruling party as well: Please refrain from attacking the press.
An Ain o Salish Kendra report from earlier this month outlined that as many as 217 journalists were subjected to torture, harassment, threats, and obstacles in the first nine months of the current year.
When journalists are deterred from carrying out their professional duties, the public's right to information is compromised, hindering their ability to make informed decisions. It also results in the slow erosion of faith from our politics and what it means to be a democracy.
We have said this before and we will say it again: Absolutely nothing good ever comes from assaulting journalists. We need to hold our political parties, and indeed our politics, to a higher standard.
