bdnews24.com :
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu has hinted at the possibility of revisions to the Digital Security Act and called for cooperation between the government and the media to tackle the threat of militancy and communalism.
“All laws can be changed or amended,” the minister said at the third national conference organised by Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendra (an organisation that promotes women journalists) at the Press Institute of Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday. “The main threat to democracy, media and a just society is militancy and communalism,” he said. “We must be prepared to deal with that.”
“The threat of militancy has spread to digital society. The government and media must work together to fight this menace,” Inu said. bdnews24.com’s Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi was the special guest at the event. In the 30 years since 1987, women have grown from 4 percent to 13 percent of the journalism workforce. “In the next three years, let’s target 30 percent,” Khalidi said in a proposal to which Inu agreed instantly.
“But it all depends on acquiring necessary skills. There’s no alternative to efficiency and competence as we try to increase the number of women in our newsrooms as well as on the reporting beats,” Khalidi said. “Having the necessary skills is crucial. So training is important and it’s much easier now to educate or train yourself, thanks to the internet,” he said. “There’s been a considerable improvement I believe in creating women-friendly work environment in the media. So just go grab the opportunity.”
The 17-year-old organisation’s third council pulled in participants from all over the country.
Setara Musa, one of the pioneers, recalled her early days in journalism in the 1950s and was happy to see the auditorium packed with working professionals. “I hope the number will double next year,” said Musa, an octogenarian who came in a wheelchair. As it was a conference of journalists, Information Minister Inu used the event to defend the recently passed Digital Security Act. His words of defence mirror the government’s previous argument that the law would help prevent digital crimes and stop the spread of extremism.
