Some 1,600 mass media employees lost their jobs during pandemic
In Bangladesh, 65% of journalists working in different media desire to switch the profession due to lack of congenial atmosphere.
They are dissatisfied with the salary structure, standard of living, and job stability, the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said at a program to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day on Thursday morning.
This mindset to switching profession is higher among the media professionals working in radio stations and television channels, TIB said at the discussion titled “Investigative Journalism in Bangladesh: Institutional Challenges of Mass Media”.
The fundamental reasons for this inconsistency among journalists are the lack of internal professional practice, good governance, proper human resource policy, management, and development in this sector.
Moreover, some 1,600 mass media employees lost their jobs after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in March last year.
On the other hand, more than 85% of female journalists do not get any justice after complaining of sexual harassment in their organization.
Meanwhile, a total of 88 cartoonists and journalists were arrested under the Digital Security Act during the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are 45 private television channels, 28 FM radio and 32 community radio stations, 1,248 daily newspapers, and thousands of online news portals in Bangladesh.
Among these, 32 business groups are the owner of 48 media outlets.
According to the World Press Freedom Index 2020, Bangladesh ranked 152 out of 180 nations. Moreover, at least 11 journalists have been brutally murdered in the last 12 years, yet no murder trial was held.
Quoting Prof Ali Riaz of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, the TIB stated that media owners are connected to other businesses, and they are using mass media as a weapon for their own business purposes.
