Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said a real journalist can never support terrorism, autocracy, and if the media can become responsible in a proper way, the democratic society will benefit from that. The minister came up with the observations on Saturday while distributing prizes among journalists, who won “UNESCO Bangladesh Journalism Awards-2014” for their investigative reports, at National Press Club here.
UNESCO Bangladesh and Bangladesh Center for Development Journalism and Communication (BCDJC) have jointly organized the function.
“Journalists have to play their role appropriately while unearthing the real truth of scams and corruptions of top political leaders. They have to practise values and ideals more,” Inu said.
“Begum Zia is a supporter of terrorism, and a journalist has to have the guts to say that. How a leader of her stature whitened her black money? But no journalist can ask her that question. People, who support war criminals, can never be patriotic citizens. They are the supporters of Pakistan,” he added.
Presided over by Professor Dr Golam Rahman of Department of Mass Communication and Journalism of Dhaka University, the function was addressed by Kicy Waisu of UNESCO Bangladesh, Naima Nargis and Jahid Hossain, among others. ntv senior correspondent Ashikur Rahman Chowdhury and cameraman Sheikh Nazrul Islam, ATN News chief reporter Mashudul Haque and cameraman Giasuddin Mamun, daily Kaler Kantho reporters Haider Ali, Muhammad Jainal Abedin and Abhijit Bhattacharya, senior photojournalist Kajal Hajra of daily Samakal and staff photojournalist Rashed Suman of The Daily Star received the award for their investigative work.
