NOAB and CA's office: Is press freedom just a promise?

The Chief Adviser's Press Wing responded with a rebuttal of the newspaper owners' (NOAB) concerns over the state of media freedom.

While some of the government steps are appreciable, many journalists still feel that press freedom is far from reality.

A new and troubling phenomenon has emerged — the risk of mob violence, the fear of harassment through false cases, and the threat of job loss — all of which continue to encourage self-censorship.

NOAB pointed to instances of journalists' persecution, citing Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) data.

According to data until August 2025, at least 496 journalists faced harassment between August 2024 and July 2025.

Of them, 266 were accused in murder cases linked to the July uprising. Three journalists were killed while on duty. There have been two more gruesome instances of assault on journalists in Gazipur. One was beaten mercilessly in front of the police. Another was hacked to death the next day.

There has, however, been some government action in the recent instance from Gazipur, but that hardly sends a clear message about the authorities' seriousness regarding press freedom.

Regrettably, the interim government remains largely silent.

And we have not seen any cases of harassment, including murder cases against journalists, being withdrawn.

Apart from this, at least 24 media professionals were removed.

Editors of eight newspapers and news editors of 11 TV stations were also dismissed, according to TIB. A number of journalists remain in jail.

While Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has absolved himself of this dereliction, saying it is not within his purview, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has never really accounted for this blatant abuse of the law in a concrete manner.

Both advisers have been quick to point out that despite the hundreds of cases, only a few were arrested.

But is that at all reassuring? Why should journalists have to walk around with the spectre of a murder case hanging over their heads?

And those who are accused, could we truly expect them to report with genuine independence and objectivity?

Can a government that has been in power for a year avoid responsibility?

The press wing mentioned the media commission and the government's plan to introduce a Journalists' Protection Law — a laudable initiative.

Interestingly, the statement from the chief adviser's press calls for reflection within the industry, citing wage exploitation, denial of labour rights, hostile work environments without proper protective equipment, and allegedly intolerable working conditions.

But isn't the government equally responsible for this? Is it enough to merely advocate reforms and not back them up with active steps to enforce regulations to protect journalists' rights — so they can fulfil their role as watchdogs, empower citizens, and contribute to building a democratic society?