JOURNALISM, as a profession, is becoming riskier day by day under this present obnoxious socio-political atmosphere. With the latest killing of a female journalist in Pabna on Tuesday and the recent attacks on reporters and photojournalists during city polls and student demonstration, Bangladesh has appeared as a dangerous place for true and realistic journalism.
The situation is worsening gradually though the number of newspaper and electronic media increased subsequently. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 2017 ranked Bangladesh at 10th in global impunity index over giving ‘complete impunity’ to murderers of journalists – an unpleasant mark.
As per news media, criminals attacked Suborna Nodi, 30, when she was returning home from her office around 10pm, leaving her critically injured. The fatally injured journalist, also district correspondent of Ananda TV, was rushed to Pabna Medical College Hospital where she died after half an hour. We call the government to arrest the killers immediately. But the recent experiences said no single case over journalist murder has so far been solved in the country. After the six years of Sagar-Runi murder, though the government assured several times for ending the investigation of the case, it is still a mystery.
We observed that hoodlums under the banners of ruling party swooped on journalists when they were performing their duty covering the juvenile movement on poor road safety. What is more appalling that these happened in the presence of the law enforcers who, reportedly, played the silent role of spectators. This is a violation of the media’s constitutional right to free expression, press freedom and the right to information, and is totally unacceptable in a democracy. Violent methods are being applied targeting journalists for preventing them from doing their work. That means; the corrupt people with power have been deliberately destroying the free media to suppress people’s popular demands.
Division based on political loyalty among the journalists is a common feature in the recent days in our country. So, it is no surprise that government without public support will remain reluctant in the trial of journalist murder cases.
