NOAB talks big, doesn't give equipment to journalists: Press Secretary

Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) talks big but does not provide necessary equipment to journalists, said Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser.

He came up with the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a programme at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Sunday.

The event titled 'Journalist Support Desk Handover Ceremony' was organized with the support of DRU and Media and Communication Development Organization Consortium, UNESCO Global Media Defense Fund.

Shafiqul Alam said: "NOAB says a lot of big things, but does not provide any equipment to journalists. The six journalists who died in the July uprising had little to no protective gear."

"A few days ago, NOAB held a big conference, did anyone talk about giving any equipment to journalists? The Editorial Council talks about a lot of big things, has it said anything about these things? I don't know," he added.

Shafiqul Alam told reporters that the owners and authorities of an organization who are sending reporters to cover assignments, have a lot of responsibilities. Journalists need to be aware of their responsibilities."

He also said that journalists criticize the government in many cases, but forget about the people who are actually responsible.

"We talk about universal unity among journalists. But it's not just for the pros. Everyone should have that. It is not desirable that one group will create unity on its own, drag the editor of the other group, then do not say anything.
Mentioning that it should be considered how much free journalism was done by journalists during the interim government, he said they were able to criticize freely."

Mentioning that there is no guidebook of journalism in the country, Shafiqul Alam said it is not told how to deal with risks in any sensitive matter.