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The Media Reform Commission has made seven recommendations concerning the regulation of online news portals in a bid to establish an effective policy framework to promote fair and ethical journalistic standards.
The commission, led by senior journalist Kamal Ahmed, submitted its report to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.
In it, the panel noted that during the ousted Awami League government’s tenure, online registrations were not guided by a "transparent and clear policy" but rather carried out through the "arbitrary exercise of government power."
The report highlights that the unregulated expansion of online media had resulted in "yellow journalism, unethical blackmailing, harassment of citizens, and violations of privacy rights," while also creating obstacles for ethical and objective journalism.
The commission attributed these issues to the failure of the previous government's online media policy in establishing effective regulations.
It recommended that the policy be reviewed and made more practical and effective.
"The responsibility to define conditions in the previous government's online policy was supposed to be assigned to the proposed Broadcast Commission. However, without forming the Broadcast Commission, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting arbitrarily carried out registrations, driven largely by political considerations."
THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Update the online portal registration policy and assign the registration authority -- originally meant for the proposed Broadcast Commission -- to the independent Media Commission proposed by the Media Reform Commission.
2. Review all online registrations issued in the last decade, as they were not conducted under any transparent or clear policy but through arbitrary government power. The independent Media Commission should be tasked with conducting this review.
3. Abolish the current system of multiple intelligence agency verifications for online portal registrations. The existing police verification process used for newspaper declarations should be considered sufficient.
4. Eliminate the annual renewal system for online portal registrations.
5. Lift the ban on IPTVs and online portals from broadcasting news bulletins, as stipulated in the online policy.
6. Ensure transparency and fairness in the distribution of government advertisements to online portals based on a specific policy.
7. Abolish the high trade licence fee imposed on online portals, which is several times higher than those for regular businesses and discourages independent journalism.
On Sept 11, 2024, the chief advisor announced the formation of commissions to reform the electoral system, police administration, judiciary, Anti-Corruption Commission, public administration, and the Constitution as part of efforts to restructure state machinery.
Later, on Oct 17, the interim government's Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan announced plans to form commissions in four more sectors, including health and media.
The nine-strong media reform panel also consists of The Financial Express Editor Shamsul Huq Zahid as the representative of the Editors’ Council, Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (NOWAB) Secretary Akhter Hossain Khan, Association of Television Owners (ATCO) representative and former Jatiya Press Club general secretary Syed Abdal Ahmed, Jamuna Television CEO and Broadcast Journalist Center Trustee Fahim Ahmed, Media Support Network Convener and journalist Jimmy Amir, Dhaka University's Prof Gitiara Nasreen, The Daily Star Bogura District Correspondent Mostofa Sabuj, The Business Standard Deputy Editor Titu Datta Gupta, and Abdullah Al Mamun as the student representative.