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The government has revised down the list of online news portals eligible for registration to 34 from 44, reports bdnews24.com.
Online editions of the daily newspapers have been dropped from the list, according to SM Mahfuzul Haque, joint secretary to the information ministry.
“The government is registering only the online news portals now. We’ll gradually publish the names of the newly registered portals online after we receive the relevant reports on them.”
On July 30, the information ministry published a list of 44 online media outlets as part of its registration process. A revised list was published again on Jul 03, excluding the online editions of dailies.
The registration of online news portals is an ‘ongoing process,’ it said. The online news portals cleared by the government agencies are enlisted for registration.
“The other news portals can apply for registration after they receive the no-objection certificate. There is nothing to worry about.”
The information ministry directed the news portals that have already received the no-objection certificate to complete the registration process in line with the ‘government rules’ within 20 working days of the publication of the list.
The government began taking applications from online news portals at the back end of 2015. The process spilled over to 2016 following several extensions of the deadline. The move aimed to curb ‘yellow journalism,’ and extend government benefits to registered outlets, the government had said.
“Names of many well-established online news portals will not be found in the list uploaded to our website. This doesn’t mean there’s a ‘negative report’ about them. It’s just that the report has not reached us,” Information Minister Hasan Mahmud had said prior to the publication of the first list.
“They will be registered the moment the no objection certificates reach the authorities and there’s nothing to be worried about. Only a few names among the 4,500 applicants will be uploaded today. It’s an ongoing process.”