BNP to prioritise media reforms if voted to power: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the party will prioritise media sector reforms if it forms the next government.

He made the remarks at a seminar titled 'Review of Media Reform Report' organised by the Broadcast Journalist Center (BJC) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre on Monday (November 24).

Fakhrul said BNP has clearly outlined its stance in its 31-point roadmap, committing to building an independent media landscape. He noted that a media reform commission—promised earlier—has already been formed and completed its report, though no further discussion has taken place since.

He expressed hope that if BNP assumes office with public support, media reforms will be given top priority. He added that past BNP governments had taken steps to strengthen and modernise the media sector, crediting the party for initiating several developments in the television industry.

Addressing journalists, Fakhrul criticised internal divisions within media unions and warned against political influence, saying journalists must avoid becoming aligned with political parties.

Reflecting on the past 15 years, he alleged that the media had “nurtured fascism” during this period and urged journalists to recommit themselves to independent journalism.