2024-02-19 14:50:14
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said that the government’s continuous efforts to ensure the freedom of media and journalists in Bangladesh has been underestimated in Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) global media index. Overall, the current ranking of Bangladesh in the latest report by RSF is unrealistic.
The Minister of State for Information said these things at a press conference organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the Secretariat on Monday (February 19) at noon.
At the same time, the state minister claimed that the assessment of RSF is unacceptable, biased and a deviation from the truth, against the real picture of free media and journalistic freedom of the government.
He said that an official letter has been sent to RSF Secretary General Christoph Delaware on Sunday to re-evaluate the assessment related to Bangladesh.
The Minister of State for Information said that the current ranking of Bangladesh in the latest report of RSF is unrealistic. This undermines the continuous efforts of the government to ensure freedom of media and journalists in Bangladesh. Government expects RSF to evaluate their rankings with sufficient objective information and data considering all the initiatives mentioned. Then the real position and picture of independence will emerge in the media and journalism of Bangladesh.
Arafat said, through this report and ranking, the ongoing efforts of the current government for the development of media in Bangladesh, ensuring a fair environment and independent and impartial journalism have been deliberately denied. The government considers RSF’s assessment to be unacceptable, biased and a distortion of the truth against the true image of the country’s media and journalistic freedom.
The state minister said, we want to climb higher in the ranking naturally. This is our intention so that no one can use or misuse these as references to create negative branding against us.
In response to the question whether you are rejecting this report, the state minister said, I would say that there is a lot of wrong information in this report. This report does not reflect the reality.
He said, we have decided, we will not go into any political speech about them, we will take it officially. With information, we will take root, we will take root. They become established if not challenged. Do not allow falsehood, error and lies to be established. With what is true, we will challenge falsehood.
Arafat said, “If there is anything in such reports nationally or internationally, which is true and there is criticism against us, we will welcome them.” I will try to correct myself. There will be no problem or protest. Protests will only be false, half-truths and misinformation and where there will be any kind of negative branding without reflecting the reality. We will continue to challenge anything dishonest against Bangladesh from an intellectual place.