They said this at a luncheon at the state guesthouse Padma hosted by Information Minister M Shamsul Islam.

They said the local newsprint industry was being given "undue" protection imposing heavy duty on newsprints from abroad as the minister referred to a general government policy to promote local industries.

"Let the local newsprint industries face the competition for improving their quality and ensuring the price competitiveness," Reazuddin Ahmed, editor of the News Today, told the meeting.

Meanwhile, Shamsul Islam urged the editors to ensure "objectivity" in covering news while exercising the freedom of press to establish the industry in a stronger footing.

"We have nothing to say about the existing press freedom as we always want the newspapers to be established on a stronger footing as institutions," he told the editors.

"The government just expect you to publish news in an objective manner," he said.

He said relations between the government and the press are far better than many western countries where, he said, the two institutions have witnessed a strained relation in recent time. "Yet they (western newspapers) largely maintain objectivity in covering their governments."

Golam Sarwar of the Jugantor, Anwar Hossain Monju of the Ittefaq, Mahbubul Alam of he Independent, Gaziul Hasan Khan of national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Gias Kamal Chowdhury of Khabarpatra, Shafiq Rehman of Jai Jai Din, Motiur Rahman of Prothom Alo, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury of the Bangladesh Observer, Alamgir Mohiuddin of the Naya Diganta, AMM Bahauddin Ahmed of the Inquilab, Abul Asad of the Sangram, Abed Khan of Samokal, Ferdous Ahmed Quarishi of the Desh Bangla, Kazi Sirajuddin Ahmed of the Dinkal, Kazi Shahed Ahmed of Ajker Kagoj, Raushanuzzaman of United News of Bangladesh (UNB), Mohammad Zakaria Khan of the Banglabazar, Mostafa Kamal Majumdar of the New Nation, Nurul Kabir of the New Age and Shyamol Datta of Bhorer Kagoj joined the luncheon.