Dhaka: The government is not controlling any media outlet and the media are enjoying more freedom than at any time in the past, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury told Parliament on Wednesday. 'Following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's instructions, we do not want to control the media in any way, and we are not doing so,' he said, while replying to a supplementary question from National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Abdul Hannan Masud (Noakhali-6) during the question-answer session in Parliament.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the state minister responded to the questions in the absence of Information and Broadcasting Minister Andaleeve Rahman in the House. He emphasized that the media are independent, and it is entirely up to any media outlet to decide which news they will upload, remove, publish, or not publish. 'The Bangladesh government does not interfere in this matter,' he stated.
Yasser Khan Choudhury further remarked that if a media outlet realizes after publishing a report that the information is incorrect or that the report should not have been published, it can remove the report without government interference. 'We believe in press freedom, and that is why we will not interfere,' he reiterated.
Earlier, in his supplementary question, Hannan Masud alleged that some news reports critical of the government or its ministers had been removed from media outlets or become inaccessible following publication. He stated that this removal has raised public concerns about whether the government is stifling freedom of expression, seeking an explanation from the information and broadcasting minister on the matter.
In reply to another supplementary question from independent lawmaker Sultana Jesmen (Women Seat-49), the state minister acknowledged that many journalists with political ideologies are members of press clubs, which he described as a normal process. 'Anyone can have their own political views or ideology. But we expect them to play a neutral role in journalism,' he said.
Yasser also highlighted the ministry's efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation through various fact-checking initiatives. Responding to a question from ruling party lawmaker SM Jahangir Alam (Dhaka-18), he explained that the Press Council Act does not allow for trying a person solely on the basis of a complaint. 'If a complaint is proved, the Press Council can only issue a warning, reprimand or censure,' he noted, clarifying that online newspapers and journalists do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Press Council Act.
In response to a question from BNP lawmaker Joynal Abdin (Feni-2), he revealed that Bangladesh ranked 152nd in the international press freedom index, while India ranked 157th and Pakistan 153rd. He also informed Khilafat Majlis lawmaker Mohammed Abul Hasan (Sylhet-5) that 39 of the 56 approved private television channels are currently operating in the country, and out of the 28 approved FM radio stations, 21 are currently broadcasting. Additionally, there are 3,393 registered newspapers in the country, he stated.