If there’s no food in stomach, journalists are bound to be corrupt

Amidst the multifaceted and multi-dimensional crisis of Bangladesh's media, the 11-member Media Reform Commission of the interim government has already submitted its report on timely and effective reforms. Under the leadership of Kamal Ahmed, the commission has made 20 recommendations on various issues including media ownership, income and expenditure, advertising market, financial security, measures regarding BTV-Betar-BSS, and the freedom and protection of media and journalists. These 20 points include several sub-points detailing various issues. Simultaneously, to implement these recommendations, the commission has also submitted a draft of the ‘Bangladesh Media Commission Ordinance: 2025’. This draft ordinance is currently under consideration by the interim government. Media stakeholders are hopeful that the proposals of this commission will soon receive legal endorsement. Rahat Minhaz, Assistant Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism at Jagannath University, had an in-depth discussion with Kamal Ahmed about the formation, operations, various obstacles and challenges of the commission. The interview is being published in series by Views Bangladesh. The final instalment of the five-part interview is published today.

Views Bangladesh: You have spoken several times about the protection of journalists in a country like Bangladesh. You’ve written and advised on the physical safety, professional safety, and digital safety of journalists. In your view, what is the biggest threat to the safety of journalists in Bangladesh — financial, physical, or legal?

Kamal Ahmed: I would say there is a lack in all areas. There is financial insecurity, physical insecurity of course, and also social insecurity. But fundamentally, it begins with financial insecurity. If you have no food in your stomach, if you have no roof over your head, you are bound to get involved in corruption. That’s the simple truth. And once you're involved in corruption, you begin to compromise. That’s exactly what is happening in Bangladesh. At the district level, upazila level, police station level, union level — the representatives present there, most of them don’t receive any salary. There is no income assurance. No job security.

In some cases, the reality is even more bizarre. Not only is there no salary guarantee in the media, but job conditions are imposed. If you cannot secure a certain number of column inches of advertisements per week, then you’ll lose your job. So, a journalist ends up sitting at the office of the upazila-level engineer, pleading for ads. If you go begging to a government office for advertisements, can you then report on corruption in that office? This insecurity is always there, seriously damaging press freedom.

Views Bangladesh: What comes next after this?

Kamal Ahmed: Then comes the matter of physical assault. You’re already financially struggling. Social prestige is nearly nonexistent. Then, when you go lobbying for someone, engaging in unfair tasks for someone, you get attacked. Journalists face physical assault — politically motivated ones too. Overall, it’s a dreadful situation. This happens more in rural areas. Dhaka is a city of 15 million people where you can blend into the air. But in rural areas, everyone knows your family. Everyone knows where you live. That’s why the risk is higher there. The danger is greater. Protection from these is necessary.

Views Bangladesh: Your commission has presented a draft ordinance along with the reform report. In Bangladesh, the experiences of various reform commissions, their success, and the implementation of their proposals have not been very pleasant. Hopes have been dashed before. How hopeful are you about the Media Reform Commission this time?

Kamal Ahmed: It depends on the government. The main parties are the government and media stakeholders. If stakeholders want it, it will happen. If not, it won’t. The government has shown some interest. The government is pledging implementation. But now, if the newspaper owners, television owners, journalists — if they don’t want it, if they think this is not necessary for the industry, then it won’t happen. But if they say it should be done, then it will happen.

Views Bangladesh: But will the stakeholders want it?

Kamal Ahmed: Let me give one example. There’s an organisation of TV channel owners — the Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO). They have a lot of issues with ratings (TRP ratings). The way TRP is currently determined is very flawed. Based on only 200 receivers, the government agency Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) provides wrong readings and fake TRP rankings. If proper TRP rankings were available, a better competitive environment would be created. Commercially, the owners would benefit. So, we have said — fix the TRP system.

Views Bangladesh: Television channels are also facing many challenges. Especially, they face many obstacles in broadcasting overseas?

Kamal Ahmed: All the channels currently approved in Bangladesh had actually targeted the overseas diaspora market. They pledged to broadcast abroad. But due to government mandates, Bangladeshi TV channels are forced to use the satellite of Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited. There are some disadvantages to using this satellite. Due to using this satellite, TV programmes can’t be seen in the Middle East, Europe, and other regions. We said this restriction must be lifted. Arrangements must be made so that they can lease foreign satellites and broadcast abroad. Following our recommendation, BSCL has now submitted a written proposal. The proposal is that they will create an app through which broadcasts can be watched live from anywhere in the world. They won’t charge anything for this. They’ll do it at their own expense. ATCO has said — we don’t want this. We want the measures recommended by the commission to be implemented. This has made me hopeful. It shows that TV channels are interested. That means the stakeholders are interested.

Views Bangladesh: What exactly is the problem with BSCL’s app?

Kamal Ahmed: The problem is, the app BSCL is proposing — there’s no guarantee where or how people will access it. In foreign countries, whether this kind of app will be permitted under that country’s law is also a question. Not all countries will allow all apps. The app may not even install. It might not be available in the app store in that country. You have to know about those matters.

Views Bangladesh: Bangladesh Betar has an external service — what does your experience say about that?

Kamal Ahmed: We know Bangladesh Betar has external services. Betar no longer broadcasts on shortwave or medium wave. Overseas broadcasts of Bangladesh Betar are now done through an app. But how many Betar apps are being used — Betar has no account of that. Has any global promotion happened for this app? For example — has it been promoted that one can listen to Bangladesh Betar programmes by downloading the app? We don’t know anyone who knows. I have lived abroad. I never knew that Bangladesh Betar programmes were available on an app.

Views Bangladesh: There’s no data on whether there’s any consumer for this content...

Kamal Ahmed: Exactly. So, an app won’t solve all your problems. Because you’re not a global player. If you were a global player, that would be different. Suppose Samsung phones were made in Bangladesh, then you could have the app pre-installed in Samsung phones. No matter where someone bought the phone from, they’d get the app. That would have been a separate solution. But that solution doesn’t exist now. Therefore, the only way to make Bangladesh’s content available abroad is satellite deregulation. That’s what ATCO has demanded.

Views Bangladesh: Was it the previous Awami League government that imposed the use of the national satellite?

Kamal Ahmed: That’s for sure. There’s no doubt about it.

Views Bangladesh: An old topic. We are always given a list of some ghostly numbers regarding newspaper circulation in Bangladesh. Was there any discussion about this list among you?

Kamal Ahmed: There was discussion about this list. There are recommendations. The government is forming a taskforce to implement the recommendations. Stakeholder representatives will also be included in that taskforce which will not be solely under government control. So that there’s no corruption and things are done transparently. They want to reform based on our recommendations. If that happens, the situation will change.

(End)

Interview conducted by Rahat Minhaz, Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Jagannath University, Dhaka.