Letter of transmittal:

Date-23/04/17
Ziaul Karim
Department Of BBA
United International University
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Subject: Submission of report on Freedom of Press in Bangladesh

Dear Sir,
Here is the assignment that I assigned on the topic as per your request. The project has completed
by the knowledge that I gathered from the “Political science”. I am thankful to all those persons
who provide us important information and gave me valuable advices. I would be happy if you
read the report carefully and I will be trying to answer all the questions that you have about the
project.

I have tried my label best to complete this assignment meaningfully and correctly, as much as
possible. I believe that my effort will help you to get ahead with this sort of venture. In this case
it will be meaningful to me. However, if you need any assistance in interpreting this project
please contact me without any kind of hesitation.

Thanking you
Freedom of Press and media in Bangladesh
Introduction
Freedom of press may be a free, responsible and vivacious media of diffusing data
that informs the general public and policy manufacturers alike creates area for
various views concerning socio-economic and political processes, and will increase
people’s scope for democratic participation. it's arising to be a serious debatable
issue in Asian nation yet as round the world. With increasing quality of the
employment of social media and different strategies, folks expect to urge a lot of
data regarding matters that have an effect on them and their surroundings. This
includes claiming data over political matters, just like the choices taken by their
organization over sure considerations, government expenses and matters
associated with the defense of their country.

Forms
We get these information through a variety of media outlet; Newspaper,
Television, Radio and recently Social Media. Almost every house and institutions
in the capital keep newspaper as a secondary source of media despite the
presence of giants like the TV or Facebook. Many claim it is merely out of habit,
but that doesn’t seem to stop them from ordering.

Necessity
The hunger towards these info by the overall public is as ne'er ending because it
appears, since the key choices of the mass public depends on the data they get.
thus it's to be unbroken safe and this can be done by checks and balances, and

typically brutal force and media virulence if necessary. After all, a press will make
sure the correct justice and observation over a country’s democracy.
Indicators
To make sure such information are free from being corrupted or made up, some
certain indicators play role. There are policies and regulations to ensure the safety
of the reporters who take dangerous, yet necessary steps to bring u the news we
get. Journalists are given special access and facilities to a number of extents
including inside of politics and other factors. Besides, data shared over social
media are usually run over checking algorithms to make sure they have validity
and proper verification.

Primary Evaluation
In order to understand peoples’ view on this matter, I developed a set of
questions, arranged them in a questionnaire via Google Document, posted it in an
online page using Google Drive and asked people to solve them. They sent their
replies in the numbers using their access to social media (Email & Facebook). I
analyzed the data and made our conclusions according to what I received. The
questionnaire had the following questions:

1) How much freedom does our press?

2) Which method of press do they follow most?
3) How much do they think the role of the press affects their daily life?
4) Which media of press would they like to see an improvement in?
5) What advantages do they think they can get from such free media?
6) What are the disadvantages they feel this free press causes?
7) Should this freedom be enriched or restricted
8) Do they have any doubts about the roles played in politics as shown by
the press?

Data Analysis
Data Analysis: I analyzed people’s response and made deductions about their answers. For the
first question, maximum students of UIU agreed that the freedom of press is moderately low.
They say that the government and the owners of the press media force them to do illegalized
practices. The international press freedom rankings of 2016 by which we know the actual
standings of Bangladesh.

Countries Press freedom rankings 2016

Finland 1
Netherlands 2
Norway 3
Denmark 4
New Zealand 5
Costa Rica 6
Switzerland 7
Sweden 8
Ireland 9
Jamaica 10
Bangladesh 144

My second question was which method of press media is increasing now-a-days? Most of them
say that it is Television. When we ask which type of method do you prefer most they say that it
is social media.

Object 2

All the data here shown as percentage

When asked about the effect of press on their lifestyle, the mass replied that it was high but not
to an extreme extent. It demonstrates when I take certain choices of our life in view of the states
of our administration approaches and any change or augmentations to it, and in addition our
economy when cost of specific merchandise change and it influences our disposition towards
obtaining them.

When asked about the advantages to such free media and press system, they replied with the
problems faced by people who do not have such a free system.

When asked about how much they believe the press media, most of them said that they didn’t
believe the press media that much because of yellow journalism.

Object 5

Historically, successive governments have attempted to maintain some sort of

control over the press. Despite pressures for reform, they have kept various
regulations in order to perpetuate their vested political interests. Below is a list of
the Press Laws & Regulations in Bangladesh since 1972.
 period Traits Nature of press laws and
Regulation

1972-2003 1. The successive ruling parties
made election pledges or joint
political commitments to repeal or
amend the regulations that Infringe
on press freedom. But they did not
do that. Rather they consolidated
their authoritarian rule over the
press, keeping the colonial and post-
independence  press laws and
Regulations.
I. Official Secrets Act 1923 II. Printing
Presses and Publications Act 1973 III.
Special Powers Act 1974 IV. The
Newspapers (Annulment of
Declaration) Ordinance 1975 V. The
Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 VI.
The Penal Code 1860 VII. Press Council
Act 1974 VIII. Bangladesh Government
Servants (Conduct) Rules 1979 IX.

And this is a list for the Press Laws & Regulations in Bangladesh since 2008.

period Traits Nature of press laws and

Regulation

2008-2015 1. Ruling Government trying to 1. Sedition laws can be applied

control over the media as they broadly, and in 2011, the 15th
prolong their dynasty through these amendment to the constitution.
Laws and regulations 2. The laws
were Suppressive, anti freedom. 2. ICT (amendment) act 2013

3. National Broadcast Policy 2014

Beneath this are the Press Freedom rankings for 150 countries with populations in
excess of 1 million. The methodology used by the authors of Freedom House and
is given in the right hand column.

COUNTRY PRESS FREEDOM RANK 2015 DEMOCRACY RANK 2015

NORWAY 1 4
JAMAICA 10 37
FRANCE 20 19
UNITED KINGDOM 21 12
KOREA,SOUTH 38 38
BANGLADESH 77 99
NEPAL 79 98
UGANDA 83 102
BHUTAN 87 73
MEXICO 99 68
PAKISTAN 102 108
TURKEY 102 88
JORDAN 105 79
MOROCCO 105 100
OMAN 116 94
IRAQ 117 132

All these data show that the level of freedom of press in Bangladesh is not what
the world calls appreciating.

When asked about the most preferable press, the majority answered it was the
Television, but then again when asked for their personal preference, they voted
for a rise in the use of social media.
 Object 8

When asked about the effect of press on their lifestyle, the mass replied that it
was high but not to an extreme extent. It shows when we take certain decisions
of our life based on the conditions of our government policies and any change or
extensions to it, as well as our economy when price of certain goods change and it
affects our attitude towards purchasing them.

Object 11

When asked concerning the benefits to such free media and press system, they
replied with the issues Janus-faced by folks that don't have such a free system.Ex
President Barack Obama recently aforementioned on the occasion of world press
freedom day, he emphasized “Vital role that a public press plays in democracy,
Journalists offer all folks as voters the possibility to understand the reality,
concerning our countries, ourselves, our governments," he said. "That makes
U.S.A. higher, it makes U.S.A. stronger, it provides voice to the voiceless, it
exposes injustice, and holds leaders like Pine Tree State responsible." Free, sturdy
media on the far side the grasp of government’s direct management facilitate
individuals rise against any injustice committed by the govt., just like the
movement against the VAT obligatory on the personal universities of People's
Republic of Bangladesh by the economic minister last year. it absolutely was the
expression of free minded individuals over the social media that gave rise to a
move that eventually brought the economic sector of the govt. underneath large
pressure from each native and foreign parties of interest to get rid of this call.
However after they were asked concerning the disadvantages of such public
press, they did place a hefty blow on the journalists and television channels WHO
acted indiscreetly throughout the time of the Holy artificer incident on the night
of thirtieth of Gregorian calendar month this year. in step with them the reporters
and journalists were fully incompetent throughout the incident, showing of their
skills whereas jeopardizing the lives of the many attached the rescue makes an
attempt. Military journalists everywhere the globe at the side of the three sectors
of People's Republic of Bangladesh Defense have allegedly goddam the reporters
of the personal TV channels that have broken protocol and brought steps that
light-emitting diode to the delay of the prisoner operation that might are tried at
the hours of darkness (Which was eventually disbursed at Day Break). They claim
that a public press has no existence among savages WHO don't care concerning
the lives of the mass however their own TRP. several were additionally saddened
by the media’s digression of the UIU once a number of of it ex-faculties and
students were brought underneath attention of the Law enforcements and also
the Judiciary department, and also the terrorists and also the planners were
connected to the establishment, once proof clearly showed they were a locality of
this university less than a number of months. Claims were created by the free
media that they were brainwashed within this university, whereas the remainder
of the inquiring proof clearly showed they were compromised throughout their
school in Asian country.

These contradictory facts influenced their opinion on whether or not to boost this
freedom or keep it same. shocking to our estimation, the bulk answered the
liberty to be slightly enriched, and if not be unbroken same. we are saying
shocking as a result of in step with the Journal ‘Press Freedoms and Journalism:
standing analysis’ written by Mr. Ataur Rahman, General Secretary of People's
Republic of Bangladesh Journalists Rights' Forum (BJRF), the extent of freedom
Janus-faced by our press is sort of minute compared to the remainder of the
globe. in step with him this freedom is being hindered because of the scope of
use of the word government and different used terms bearing manifold
interpretation within the connected laws. The authorities authorized to
implement the connected laws taking the chance of radiating interpretation of
the terms and also the use of the word 'Govt.' is at risk of act for Wrongful gain
and typically for malicious purpose. Article seven of our constitution ensures that
every one powers of the Republic belong to the individuals. In our country
democratic Government is elbow grease powers through the persons electoral by
the individuals and such a government claims their transparency and
responsibility. therefore by such constitutional provisions each subject of the
country has the correct to understand concerning each step taken by the govt. in
details for transparency and responsibility of the activities of the persons within
the government.

However when the incident of Gregorian calendar month thirtieth, it looks that
the overall perspective of the individuals have modified and that they appear to
go with the spread of such crucial data when the enforcement authority and
safety personnel have place thumbs up for the knowledge to travel out
throughout such crisis. individuals are disquieted that though the country desires
additional freedom of press, in spite of the murder of the bloggers and also the
communicator couple, the sharp vanishing of journalists, political and social
personnel, they'll tolerate the shortage and miss interpretation of the rights by
any department of the press after they fail to react in things of major emergence.

Conclusion
It looks that attributable to the limitation of social and political inclinations, the
idea of freedom of press in East Pakistan remains to be a significant debatable
and contradictory issue. On one hand the individuals aren't happy with the
amount of data they get, whereas on the opposite they blame the incompetence
of the free media in bullying their means and blaming the incorrect
establishments or personnel for activities they need not committed. What we
have a tendency to advocate as students of government is to require the bottom
of acceptance throughout the time of emergence of bound kind and nonetheless
check that we've got enough scope of extracting data regarding the opposite
governmental problems.
Recommendation

Bangladesh’s media environment suffered major setbacks in 2015. The year was
marked by deadly attacks against bloggers and a spate of politically motivated
legal cases against journalists. Growing concerns over state censorship—including
of internet-based content—also had a chilling effect on freedom of expression. The
government should take the lead to not only recognize press freedom under the
constitution,but also to protect the freedom in practice.

 A more secure and sustainable balance between regulating and promoting

press freedom.
 Government should have less interface in media.
 Different act and laws should be passed for media, Which will act as a
guideline for them.
 The journalists should avoid partisan politics.
 The Bangladeshi media collectively present an array of views. However,
political coverage can be highly partisan, as the owners of many private
outlets exert editorial control that reflects their personal political affiliations.
 Private media outlets risk government pressure in response to their coverage.
 Censorship of internet-based content has become increasingly common in
Bangladesh, with periodic blocking of YouTube, Facebook, other social-
media and messaging applications, and high-profile Bengali blogs in recent
years.

There is a wide variety of privately owned daily and weekly print publications.
Private broadcasting continues to expand, with more than 40 television and two
dozen radio stations—including three commercial FM outlets and 14
community stations. The state directly owns or influences several broadcast
outlets, including the public BTV, which remains the sole terrestrial television
broadcaster with national reach. so these should be remain stop in Bangladesh
for betterment our country’s freedom in press and media.
 Reference

 • Anam, M. 2002, ‘The Media and Development in Bangladesh’ in The Right
to Tell: The Role of Mass Media in Economic Development, World Bank
Institute Development Series, Washington D.C.: World Bank Institute.
 • Ahmed, Abul M., 2009 “Media, Politics and the Emergence of Democracy in
Bangladesh”. Canadian Journal of Media Studies, Vol. 5 (1).
 • Besley, et al., 2002, ‘Mass Media and Political Accountability’ in The Right
to Tell: The Role of Mass Media in Economic Development, World Bank
Institute Development Series, Washington D.C.: World Bank Institute.
 • Constitution of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, Legislative and
Parliamentary Affairs Division, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary
Affairs, 2011.
 • Hudock, A., 2003, ‘Hearing the Voices of the Poor: Encouraging Good
Governance and Poverty Reduction through Media Sector Support’,
Washington D. C.:World Learning.
 • Khan, Tahsin and Kaarisma, Sabah E. (2014), Freedom of the press in
Bangladesh. The International Journal of Social Sciences, Vol.25 No. 1
 • Press Freedoms and Journalism: Status analysis
 Bangladesh Journalists rights' Forum-BJRF
• http://www.worldaudit.org/press.htm