Govt has no intension to control media: Arafat

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat has reiterated that the government has no intension to control media, saying that had the government an intension to control media, it wouldn't have allowed increasing of media outlets in the country.

"The increasing of media outlets is the reflection of press freedom in the country," he told a function organized by Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) in city's Gulshan Club to accord reception to its member newspapers over completing 50 years and 25 years since their inceptions.

Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury addressed the function as the chief guest with NOAB President AK Azad in the chair.

Noting that the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always welcomes the constructive criticism, Arafat said in the last 15 years, the country witnessed the exponential growth of media.

If the government had any intension to control the media, it wouldn't have allowed increasing of its number as controlling of more media houses is more difficult, Arafat said and urged the media to publish news with scientific evidence, authentic information and facts.

"We are absolutely open to receive criticism and willing to listen to your opinion. We don't believe that we don't have any failure or mistake," he said, adding that media can help the government by indentifying government's mistakes to correct those.

On the Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) press freedom index, the state minister said, "I don't know how they have prepared it. I looked into the information that has been taken as input to reflect in the ranking and what I found out that there is much incorrect information in the report".

Noting that he sent a letter to RSF identifying methodological weaknesses and wrong information incorporated in the 2023 report, he said the RSF acknowledged and corrected those.

"We found out that there is a lot of lack of transparency (in the RSF report). Like if you ask a handful of people about the environment of media in a particular country that is going to be basically opinion of those particular people. It cannot be picture of the entire country," Arafat said, adding, so, to reflect the real picture of the whole country, there is a well established methodology in research that needs to be followed.

But that has not been followed in this particular study, he said, posing a question, "Is it possible that Bangladesh's media environment is worst than Afghanistan?"

He added: "It is possible only then when something wrong in your methodology. So, I request you not to take everything on the base of face value".

Mentioning that there are some challenges in the country's media environment, the state minister said, "We are working to improve the country's media environment and fix the problems".

Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman, the Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, Barrister Nihad Kabir of Sangbad, Ittefaq Editor Tasmima Hossain, Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury and Dainik Azadi Executive Editor Shihab Malik spoke at the function, among others.

The NOAB awarded the Dainik Ittefaq, Dainik Sangbad, Dainik Azadi and Dainik Purbanchal over completing 50 years since their inception while it also awarded Prothom Alo and Manabzamin over completion of 25 years.