Speakers at a discussion on Sunday observed that the West鈥檚 commitment to media freedom is selective.
They said that while all media have their politics, the way the western media has stood up for Israel has made their hypocrisy clear.
They made the remarks at a panel discussion titled 鈥榃estern hypocrisy on press freedom鈥� held at DrikPath Bhobon in Dhaka city on Sunday.
Research Initiatives, Bangladesh executive director Meghna Guhathakurta, 抖阴精品 editor Nurul Kabir and political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman were present as panellists at the discussion, which was moderated by Drik managing director Shahidul Alam.
鈥楾oday鈥檚 discussion revolves around activities of the western countries that talk about democracy. As we speak, many people are dying. We have to digest a lot due to the hegemony of the West鈥� said Shahidul Alam.
Sharing personal experiences from own life, Meghna Guhathakurta said, 鈥楾here is a deep-rooted concept of parochialism in the western media from which this hypocrisy originates.鈥�
She mentioned that those characteristics must be understood to understand their media character and media expression.
Nurul Kabir said that as the freedom fighters of the War of Independence in Bangladesh were terrorists to the Pakistanis, so are Palestinian freedom-seekers to the West.
He mentioned that the hypocrisy is linked to settler colonialism and the issues were needed to be understood politically.
Nurul Kabir said that there is no Israel-Palestine war because war takes place between countries with similar capacity, but the two sides differ greatly in terms of military strength.
鈥楾he current situation is all about control, capital and power,鈥� said Nurul Kabir, adding that powerful quarter uses propaganda to control and legitimise their actions.
Through constant propaganda to the masses, the West creates a narrative of its political positions through various means, said Nurul Kabir.
Zahed Ur Rahman said that leading newspapers of the world like the Washington Post or the New York Times, whose words are generally believed as truth, have set their agenda.
鈥楾hey have double standards,鈥� said Zahed Ur Rahman, adding, 鈥楢ll media houses have economic and geopolitical interests.鈥�
鈥榃e live in a very complex world, where nothing can be generalised. The West has created rules, including for human rights, but they rarely follow those,鈥� mentioned Zahed Ur Rahman.
The panel discussion was organised by the Drik as part of the inaugural ceremony of an exhibition titled 鈥楪aza Holocaust: Killing the Truthtellers鈥�.
Curated by ASM Rezaur Rahman, the exhibition is featuring photographs, identities and descriptions of the killings of 142 media persons in Palestine, a forensic investigation of the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and cartoons, among others.
The exhibition will end on May 11.
