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Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Jamir Uddin Sircar said the journalist community has always been active to safeguard the country's hard-earned independence and sovereignty side by side with its culture and heritage, reports BSS.
Sircar said the government is now contemplating an amendment to the Newspaper Act to help protect the trend of objective journalism through upholding the rational policies.
"Journalists across the country always deserve respect of all, because they wake up the people through their pen," he said while addressing as the chief guest at the 12th biennial council of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) at the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) in the city Saturday.
Information Minister M Shamsul Islam as the special guest also addressed the function with BFUJ President Gias Kamal Chowdhury in the chair. JPC President Riaz Uddin Ahmed, General Secretary Shawkat Mahmud and BFUJ Secretary General Ruhul Amin Gazi also addressed the function.
Besides, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) President Elahi Newaj Khan, Chittagong Metropolitan Journalists' Union President Shamsul Haque Haidari, Khulna Metropolitan Journalists' Union President Anisuzzaman, Bogra Journalists' Union President Mir Sazzad Ali Santosh, Jessore Journalists' Union President Mahidul Islam Mantu, Rajshahi Journalists' Union President Nazib Wadud, Federal Union of Press Workers Federation President Fazle Imam and Bangladesh Press Workers Federation President Matiur Rahman Talukder also spoke on the occasion.
Sircar said the independence of Bangladesh was achieved through the joint efforts of all including journalists, politicians and intellectuals. After the Independence, he said, the then ruling party has gagged the voice of the media by closing all but four newspapers.
He laid emphasis upon people's voting rights and elected government for national integrity and economic progress and said democracy would prevail if the people's representatives could be elected only through polls.
"Freedom of the media will be guaranteed if democracy can function without any interruption," he also said. However, he made it clear that free press does not mean that the journalists can write whatever they like.
The information minister said the present government is very tolerant and liberal about newspapers. "The nation expects more objective news flow from the media," he said.
In this respect, Islam stressed the need for preventing yellow journalism for the sake of upholding freedom of the press and the journalist community in the country.
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