Media Reform Commission to submit recommendations to govt by 15 Feb: Commission chief

The Media Reform Commission will submit its recommendations to the government by 15 February, the commission's chief Kamal Ahmed said today (13 January).

"Questions may arise about whether the recommendations provided by the commission will be implemented," he said at a meeting with journalists at the Barishal Shilpakala Academy in Barishal. 

It is important to maintain this scepticism, he said, adding that such inquiry will help advance the implementation of the recommendations.

Kamal said, "Our commission was formed on 18 November. This 90-day commission will remain active until 18 February. We will continue the commission's consultation activities at various levels until 31 January. After that, our full commission will convene to prepare and submit a set of recommendations based on the feedback from journalists in each region, as well as our observations."

The commission chief also said, "We conducted a public opinion survey on the media at the national level. From 1 to 7 January, we surveyed 46,000 people by visiting homes and gathering opinions on a random basis."

In the survey, the general public was asked how they want to see the media, whether they have trust in the media, and whether they watch television, read newspapers, or listen to the radio, he added.

"If people have abandoned the media, they were also asked why they have done so. The information gathered from the survey will be reviewed and included in the set of recommendations," he further said.

"It must be remembered that while we are stakeholders in the media, the people of the country are the biggest stakeholders. Their opinions are extremely important. If they do not read newspapers, watch TV, or listen to the radio, the media cannot sustain itself."

The commission chief invited everyone to submit suggestions not only during the consultation meetings but also through the commission's website if they have any additional feedback.

Media Reform Commission members Titu Datta Gupta, Akhtar Hossain Khan, Jimmy Amir, Abdullah Al Mamun, and Begum Kamrunnesa Hasan were present at the meeting.

Around a hundred journalists from Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Pirojpur, and Jhalakathi participated in the meeting and shared their opinions.