Is a public-funded media outlet a viable option in Bangladesh?
Public-funded media outlets are likely to be more accountable to the people and freer than commercial or state-owned media houses. But without legal protections, can they survive undemocratic pressure?
A famous quote from Edward S Herman and Noam Chomsky's 'Manufacturing Consent,' goes like this, "A mass movement without any major media support, and subject to a great deal of active press hostility, suffers a serious disability, and struggles against grave odds."
This is exactly what unfolded in front of our eyes during the July uprising, the 2018 quota reform movement, the 2018 road-safety movement and so on.
Media, as we expect it to be — fair, accurate and objective, serving as a platform for diverse voices while holding power accountable — has failed to meet this standard in the last few years.
Now, after assuming power, the interim government has constituted several commissions, one of which is the media reform commission. This provides us with an opportunity for discourse on publicly funded media, and successful models that exist abroad.
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As the name suggests, publicly funded media refers to broadcasting entities supported by public funds, typically through government grants, licence fees, subscription fees, or special taxes.
Globally, organisations like the BBC (UK), ABC (Australia), PBS (US), and Al-Jazeera (Qatar) are a few prominent examples of this model. These entities aim to provide impartial news and content that serves the public interest.
However, Bangladesh's public-funded media houses, Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar, are not examples of such success.
Though both organisations are theoretically funded by taxpayers' money, in reality, they act as the ruling party's mouthpiece.
Media experts note that people turned their backs on BTV due to previous governments using the channel to solely further the state agenda, instead of allowing it to work for public interest. Couple that with corruption, and the media house was nowhere near being the voice of the nation it had to be.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a public corporation established by a Royal Charter that gives it constitutional independence and sets its mandate, can be a good example. The primary source of funding for the BBC is the television licence fee paid by households in the UK that watch or record live TV or use BBC's iPlayer service.
In the private sector, commercial channels were captivated by commercial interests, and many of them were run by those in power. Moreover, pressure from the government meant TV channels and newspapers were far from being fair and free. This ultimately resulted in Bangladesh ranking 165th among 180 countries on the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, prepared by Reporters Without Borders.
However, as the country heads towards a new direction, the idea of a publicly funded media house once again seems like an intriguing proposition. The concept, rooted in public service, prioritises unbiased information, educational content, and cultural enrichment over profit. But can such a media house thrive in Bangladesh's socio-political and economic landscape once the dust settles?
Possible models that can be implemented
BBC, for instance, used to run on a 'trust' model, and it can be an ideal model for us to follow, according to Rakib Ahmed, an associate professor and the chairman of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Jahangirnagar University.
BBC's 'trust' model, which was a governing body of the BBC, and it operated independently of both BBC management and external organizations, with the stated goal of acting in the best interests of license fee payers.
"We have a proper detailed framework in Bangladesh on how a 'trust model' should be, and I think we can use that for implementing the idea of a publicly funded media house," he added.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a public corporation established by a Royal Charter that gives it constitutional independence and sets its mandate, can be a good example. The primary source of funding for the BBC is the television licence fee paid by households in the UK that watch or record live TV or use BBC's iPlayer service.
Thus, directly funded by the people, BBC can maintain operational independence from commercial and political interests.
But is it possible for a media house to survive just with crowdfunding? Ahmed thinks it is not. "As far as I am concerned, there is not a single well-known media platform functioning on a crowdfunding model. Moreover, it is not a realistic model to begin with," he says.
While crowdfunding can serve as a partial source of funding, heavy reliance on this is not a viable option.
Recently, a Bangladeshi-American social media personality, Shafquat Rabbee posted on Facebook about the need for a crowd-funded news channel operating in English and that he is interested in opening such a platform. The post gained a lot of traction on Facebook, resulting in many people committing to contributing to such a platform, either financially or by other means.
"Just within 15 minutes of my posting, a Bangladeshi-American Apple employee called me and he promised to contribute a handsome amount of money to the platform," said Rabbee. "Later, many more folks contacted me, showing interest in contributing to the platform," he added.
"Initially, we are starting it on available platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube, as these platforms are currently the biggest news sources for most people," said Rabbee. He mentioned that a foundation will be formed to maintain the platform, and the foundation will be based in both the US and Bangladesh, pending all legal approvals.
Although the platform proposed by Rabbee has yet to start operations, and its future remains questionable, it can be a litmus test for the possibility and feasibility of such a platform in Bangladesh.
What can work? Where can it go wrong?
As the people directly fund a public-funded media outlet, it will be more accountable to them, and likely more free than a commercial or state-owned media house.
Private media outlets are often accused of political bias or corporate influence. A publicly funded one could offer unbiased news coverage. Furthermore, a publicly funded model could reduce the dependency on commercial interests.
With safeguards for editorial independence, it could hold onto the democratic values that we really need.
But considering Bangladesh's economy, funding constraints are a primary challenge. Whether donors or subscribers will be able to put aside a specific amount each month to support a media outlet and independent journalism remains a burning question.
Ensuring editorial independence is also another crucial issue to address. Without strong legal safeguards, there is always a risk of the outlet bowing down to pressure from vested groups or the government.
