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These are: the Press Club of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, the Association of Journalists of Jahangirnagar University (JABISAS) and the Forum of Journalists of Stamcord University.
In a separate statement Thursday, they condemned the “disgusting” incident and called on the government to stop obstructing independent journalism.
In a joint statement, Shahjalal University Press Club President Jubayer Mahmood and General Secretary Masood Al Razi said: “When the media acts as a mirror of a country and plays a unique role in building of society by highlighting the crisis and the potential of the country, or harassed; What has become a major obstacle in independent journalism.
Tawfiq Imroz Khalidi, editor-in-chief of the country’s main online news portal bdnews24.com, Arun Debnath, director of English News, Zahidul Kabir, news editor, and Munirul Islam, news editor are being pressured by the bdnews24 archives. com. . Lawyers from different districts of the country threaten to present a case against him by sending them notices ”.
Dews is concerned about ‘unethical’ pressure on bdnews24.com
At a press conference Wednesday, Tawfiq Imroz Khalidi, editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com, told reporters about the pressure from influencers.
At the press conference it was reported that the President of the Premier Group of Companies, former MP Bir Muktijoddha Dr. Like all other media outlets, bdnews24.com has reported on the activities of HBM Iqbal on various occasions over the last decade and a half. , their activities and court orders.
They have also been exempted from those cases. Now, after all this time, bdnews24.com is being pressured in a strange way to remove that old news.
More than three dozen attorney notices have already been sent from different districts across the country to the four senior editors of bdnews24.com. It is said that if those reports are not ‘deleted’, a case will be shelved. The lawsuit will be filed under the Digital Security Act and defamation charges. If all the notices match, the amount of the claim for compensation is more than Rs 50 thousand crore.
Tawfiq Imroz Khalidi, editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com, told a news conference that he did not want to succumb to the pressure. “Bdnews24.com does not have its own investigation into these reports; the proceedings of the case and the court order have been objectively reflected there. So, for what reasons would a media remove these reports?
“We have been told over and over again that others have removed their reports on the matter. In various ways, pressure has been put on influential people, including people involved in the media. That said, they have removed it, why not After trying for a long time and not agreeing to delete the report, they have now resorted to a strange pressure tactic. “
Describing the use of pressure as an obstacle to independent journalism, the leaders of the Shahjalal University Press Club said in a statement: “It is being considered as a strategy.”
They called on the government to take appropriate measures to avoid undue pressure and obstruction from influential sectors in the performance of their professional functions in independent journalism.
President of the Association of Journalists of the University of Jahangirnagar-JABISAS. Asaduzzaman and Secretary General Mahbub Alam also condemned the incident in a joint statement.
“The job of the media is to present truthful information to the people of the country,” they said in a statement. Without freedom of the media, it will be impossible to get accurate information to the people of the country. Unreasonable threats, the lawsuits are just an attempt to suppress the media. The unethical pressure on the editorial board of bdnews24.com is against independent journalism. “
They called on the government to take appropriate measures to allow all the country’s media, including bdnews24.com, to work independently.
In a joint statement, Hassan Wali, chairman of the Stamford University Journalists Forum, and Akram Hossain, secretary general, condemned the pressure on bdnews24.com.
“The media is called the mirror of a state,” they said in a statement. When the media unequivocally presents the reality of what is happening in society or the state in front of the masses, then the media is being subjected to immoral pressure, threats of prosecution or harassment by so-called selfish sectors. Because of this, independent journalism is severely hampered. “
They demanded action against those who threatened to sue the editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com and others.
“The Stamford University Forum of Journalists urges the government to take appropriate measures to avoid unfair pressure and obstruction from influential media outlets to fulfill their professional responsibilities in free media and independent journalism,” said the release.
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