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Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman harshly criticised Sheikh Hasina's regime, alleging that over the past 15 years, it has dismantled all institutions of the country.
"Sheikh Hasina's fascist regime has destroyed both the government and private institutions. The police, judiciary, and media have suffered the most in terms of credibility," he said.
"The judiciary has become a hotbed of injustice, and journalists are victims of manipulation by senior editors. We, the journalists, are partly responsible for this decline. When editors compromise their integrity, it undermines the entire profession."
The Amar Desh Editor also alleged that the person who, according to him, contributed most to corrupting the judiciary - Nasimul Gani - was made chairman of the Press Council.
Mr. Rahman said these while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar - titled "Media Reform: Problems and Way Out" - organised by the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital on Thursday.
He also called for a minimum four-day holiday for media professionals during the Eid festivals, stressing the need for financial compensation for those working in online media outlets during holidays.
"In the digital age, online media cannot be shut down completely. Therefore, those who work during the holidays should be fairly compensated," he added.
DRU Vice President Gazi Anwar presided over the event, and General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel moderated it.
Shamsul Huq Zahid, Editor of the Financial Express (FE) and a member of the Media Reform Commission, was present as a special guest.
In his speech, he reflected on press freedom, stating: "There was no press freedom before the Independence, and we have experienced the similar repression afterwards."
He recalled that the BAKSAL regime banned all but four newspapers, rendering thousands of journalists jobless.
"Although there was a relative independence in the early 1990s after the democratic governance had returned. But, press freedom was again curtailed post-2006, and it continued for the past 16 years. From 2008 to 2024 - until August 5, 2024 - the media has gone through a dark period, making reform inevitable," he said.
The FE editor noted that the central issue in media reform should be ensuring press freedom and journalists' rights.
The Media Reform Commission has submitted proposals to the government for ensuring both press freedom and financial independence of journalists. Among the proposals are two draft laws: the Media Reform Commission Act, and the Journalists' Protection Act.
The FE editor also stressed the importance of enforcing the Right to Information Act and curbing the unchecked proliferation of media outlets.
"Anyone intending to launch a newspaper or media house should be required to prove a legitimate source of income and demonstrate the ability to pay staff salaries," he added.
Other speakers of the event included of Journalists' Welfare Trust Managing Director M Abdullah, Dhaka Journalists' Union President Shahidul Islam and Joint Secretary Didarul Alam, and senior journalist Asif Shawkat Kallol.
Md. Mia Hossain, Member Secretary of Journalists' Community of Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com