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Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md. Mahfuz Alam has said the government will form a taskforce for the development of the newspaper industry.
“The task force will transparently find out the actual circulation of the newspapers, take steps for implementing the wage board awards, and fix the advertisement rates for the overall development of the newspaper industry.”
The information adviser said this in a meeting with stakeholders of DFP in the conference room of the ministry, reports BSS.
Laying importance on the newspapers to follow the government policies, he said, government facilities and advertisements will be available for those newspapers which will follow the government policies.
Tax returns of the mass media organisations should also be verified, he noted.
Mahfuz Alam said the government does not want to terminate the publication of any newspaper. However, it’s required for all newspapers to ensure transparency at every level, and an environment of competition must be created among different newspapers.
Mahfuz Alam said many ministers and parliament members became owners of mass media in various ways during the regime of the last fascist government. The present condition of those media should be examined, and necessary steps should be taken, he added.
At the meeting, Media Reform Commission chief Kamal Ahmed said the government should not patronise those newspapers which are ‘out of the competition’. He stressed on make a separate policy for English newspapers.
Director General of the Department of Films and Publications (DFP) Khaleda Begum said the newspaper audit system needs to be reformed. She sought the cooperation of all concerned to allow the DFP to work freely and transparently.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mahbuba Farjana, Media Reform Commission Member and Dhaka University Mass Communication and Journalism Department faculty Prof Giti Ara Nasrin, Jatiya Press Club president Hasan Hafiz, Daily Manabzamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, BFUJ Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury, DUJ President Shahidul Islam, executive editor of Daily Prothom Alo Sajjad Sharif, managing editor of Daily Dinkal Shimul Biswas, executive editor of Daily Naya Diganta Masumur Rahman Khalili and representatives of the media houses and government officials were present.