Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced that he will hold quarterly meetings with newspaper editors as part of efforts to strengthen engagement with the media sector.
He also acknowledged the financial crisis facing the press industry and gave a positive assurance regarding the clearance of outstanding media bills, according to newspaper owners’ representatives.
The remarks were made during a meeting held on Tuesday afternoon at the secretariat, after talks between the prime minister and leaders of the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB).
Following the meeting, NOAB President and Daily Manab Zamin Editor-in-Chief Matiur Rahman Chowdhury briefed the media.
He said,
“The newspaper industry is currently under various pressures.
The biggest challenge is financial pressure.”
He added,
“We discussed it with the prime minister. She listened carefully and agreed with many of our demands. Implementation may take some time.”
Senior media figures, including editors and publishers of major newspapers, were present at the meeting. Among them were Matiur Rahman (Prothom Alo), Mahfuz Anam (The Daily Star), AK Azad (Daily Samakal), and Dewan Hanif (Banik Barta).
Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, along with the prime minister’s policy advisers, also attended the discussion.
Highlighting the Prime Minister’s response, the NOAB President said,
“She said she does not want to be hostile to anyone. This is a very positive statement, which no head of government has said before.”
He further noted that the Prime Minister assured them of reviewing issues related to journalists facing legal cases and possible bail considerations, depending on circumstances.
On the issue of government dues, he stated that the Prime Minister assured them of taking effective steps to resolve the matter.
He also mentioned discussions on the wage board, saying their concerns were heard.
Describing the meeting as constructive, he said,
“The meeting was very useful and effective.”
Referring to future engagement, he added that the Prime Minister proposed regular quarterly meetings with editors, which he described as a significant development.
He said,
“Earlier, meetings with editors and owners were very rare. This decision to meet every three months is a major step. It will help reduce the gap between the media and the government.”
