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Enactment of journalism protection act, Journalist’s entry-level wage equivalent to ninth grade on govt scale, Media houses to operate as public listed companies

The media reform commission has proposed a 20-point recommendation, including formation of an independent national media commission, enactment of journalism protection act, journalist’s entry-level wage equivalent to the ninth grade and corporatisation of media houses as public listed companies. BCS cadre officials

The reform commission on Saturday submitted its report with recommendations to the chief adviser to the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus at his official residence Jamuna in Dhaka city.

Senior journalist Kamal Ahmed, also chief of the reform commission, led the 12-member team during the report handover ceremony.

The chief adviser said, ‘We want to swiftly implement the reform proposals that can be executed immediately.’

At a post-ceremony press conference, commission chief Kamal said that his team would prepare a shortlist of the key recommendations in the next couple of days.

Regarding the proposed national media council, he said, ‘The existing Press Council has become ineffective. The proposed national media council will ensure journalists’ rights and operate as a grievance redress mechanism.’

To ensure freedom of journalism, the commission proposed amendment to the constitution’s article 39 so that restrictions on press freedom and freedom of expression in terms of national security and foreign relations issues can be imposed only during war situations.

Besides, the commission also recommended certain amendments to laws related to penal code, cyber security, official secrets, contempt of court, national broadcasting service, online media and right to information.

Aiming at running Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha by professional journalists, the commission recommended merging of the news media with a national broadcasting agency.

Although the commission did not recommend anything about the wage board, it proposed that the entry-level wage of a journalist should match with the salary of the Bangladesh Civil Service officers belonging to the ninth grade and also special allowance for Dhaka-based journalists.

‘A journalist must have a graduation degree to avail a media job. We have also proposed eligibility for other officials so that loan defaulters and convicted persons are not allowed to be media organisation owners,’ Kamal said.

The commission also proposed corporatisation of the news media by transforming them as public listed companies, increase in government advertising rate and the cancellation of 27.5 per cent corporate tax on the print media.

Finding that non-media people, injecting black money into the media industry, are controlling it, the commission proposed a ‘one house, one media’ policy, meaning a media house would own only one publication, or one radio or TV channel, etc. 

Referring to its understanding that news media ledgers were not audited properly and in a fair manner, the commission recommended the inclusion of civil society representatives in the process of auditing of media houses by the government Audit Bureau of Circulation. 

Inclusion of national ethnic minority people and persons with disabilities in the media industry has also been encouraged in the recommendations.