The World Press Freedom Day was observed across the country on Tuesday with media representatives demanding proper implementation of Right to Information Act 2009, ensuring security of journalist and a mass communication policy articulating media's role and responsibility.
To observe the World Press Freedom Day, right organisation Odhikar organised rallies, meetings and discussions at Barisal, Khulna, Rangpur, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Chittagong districts.
Odhikar representatives addressing a discussion held at Odhikar office in Dhaka informed that between January 2004 and April 30, 2011, about 15 journalists were killed, 740 injured, 299 assaulted, 911 threatened, 45 arrested and nine were abducted.
Campaign for Good Governance, another organisation, held a rally in front of National Museum demanding the proper implementation of Right to Information Act 2009 and ensuring security of journalists at work.
Uma Chowdhury, director of the organisation, urged government to ensure the security of the journalists to establish a free and independent media for the development of the country.
Mass-line Media Centre organised a seminar on '21st Century Media: New Frontiers and New Barriers' marking the World Press Freedom Day 2011 at IDB auditorium in the city.
Speakers at the seminar demanded proper implementation of Right to Information Act 2009 to ensure people's right to information and a mass communication policy to ensure media's role and responsibility in giving people accurate news. They also called for reforming related laws.
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists organised an open discussion marking the day at the National Press Club in the city where participants said that the RTI was not being properly implemented.
Presided over by BFUJ president Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, chief information commissioner Mohammad Zamir spoke as chief guest at the programme.
The media representatives alleged that the authorities related to RTI do not cooperate and sometimes they do not receive the applications seeking information.
Zamir admitted that some people did not get the benefit of the RTI due to unwillingness of some RTI related authorities and also claimed that the RTI has some great achievements in some cases.
He pointed out that insufficient manpower and shortage of technology slowed down the flow of information.
He said among thousands of NGOs only 332 NGOs and 7,000 government organisations have appointed information officers while many of them were performing as acting officers.
Source: New Age
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