President Abdul Hamid today called upon all newspapers to continue
their contributions to the development of the country through
responsible journalism.
“They [newspapers] need to play a pro-active role in preserving the
democracy and upholding the values of the constitution of the country,”
he said, speaking as the chief guest of a programme on The Daily Star’s
25th anniversary at the Osmani Auditorium in the capital, Dhaka.
He also called upon the newspapers to exercise the freedom of the
press responsibly to bring welfare for the people and the country.
The Daily Star awarded 24 prominent individuals and an institution
with lifetime achievement awards at the event to honour their
contribution to the society.
A number of newspaper leaders from South and Southeast Asia also attended the programme.
Addressing the programme, President Abdul Hamid said the government
believes in press freedom and any attack on the press is also a threat
to democracy and that the journalists must fight evil forces
concertedly, he said.
Terming newspapers the mirror of a country, Hamid said free flow of
information and freedom of expression was important for the proper
development of mass media.
Besides enacting the Right to Information law, he said, the
government has been giving all-out cooperation so that media could run
independently.
However, independence does not mean doing anything as per wish, he warned.
Underscoring the importance of newspapers, the president said during
the Pakistan period, newspapers courageously stood against the
oppression and discrimination against the Bangali people by the West
Pakistani ruling cliques.
They asserted the common man's demand for the right to freedom.
“During the Liberation War, the international media were instrumental
in creating global public opinion in favour of the cause of our freedom
struggle. After independence, newspapers devoted their creative energy
to the rebuilding of the war-torn nation,” he mentioned.
Most newspapers have maintained a secular and democratic stance and
played a patriotic role at various critical moments of the country, he
added.
Hamid also said newspapers voiced the woes of the downtrodden people of the society to establish their rights.
“Their intellectual input to planning and implementation of various
development policies such as women empowerment, poverty reduction, urban
and rural development is well-recognised.”
The president said English language dailies have a special place in
our media scene as they connect Bangladesh to the global audience and
brightened the image of the country by highlighting its successes.
Among them, he mentioned The Daily Star deserves special mention.
“Through impartial and investigative reporting and analysis, it
carved a special place in the hearts of people both at home and abroad.”
Besides publishing news and opinions, he said The Daily Star is very
committed to social causes like tackling climate change, saving rivers
and the environment, protecting the rights of children and women, and
various development issues.
The president also applauded the paper’s initiative of honouring
distinguished people from different fields every year to recognise their
contributions to their respective fields.
He also praised the initiative of awarding top performing students of
O- and A-level to encourage them to contribute to the country and hoped
that The Daily Star would continue such efforts.
Hamid said the media should have the courage to say white when it is
white and say black when it is black, which can take a journalist to the
peak of his professional excellence.
“You will criticise the government and also me. However, you have to
keep in mind that it should be based on facts, in no way it should be
biased. Constructive criticism can play an important role in taking
right decision for running the government and building the nation.”
On terrorism and militancy, he said those were not now limited to the boundaries of any country, rather a global problem.
“The mass media will have to equip itself with latest technology to
resist and unearth various technology-based organised crimes in the
local and international arena.”
The president said media would also have to play a role so that none
could do anything evil misusing religion. At the moment, he said all the
media and especially the newspapers must work together to fight
extremism and terrorist activities.
He said Bangladesh is a land of religious harmony and “we will never compromise with this tradition”.
Hamid concluded by saying that responsible and professional practice
of the press serve the people with correct information and help them
enhance their knowledge and awareness.
Earlier, while delivering the welcome address, Mahfuz Anam, editor
and publisher of The Daily Star, said the newspaper was born in 1991
when democracy was restored, with an unflinching commitment for
democracy.
“Daily Star will continue to work relentlessly to this end,” he expressed his firm determination.
“A newspaper lives when it lives up to the expectation of ethical
journalism,” he said, thanking Daily Star’s readers for their continuous
support over the past 25 years.
In her vote of thanks, Rokia Afzal Rahman, president of Mediaworld
Ltd that owns the newspaper, said editorial independence lies at the
core of The Daily Star’s success as a credible newspaper.
Expressing her gratitude to the board’s unwavering support for
freedom of press, she thanked the journalists of the newspaper for
maintaining utmost standard of journalism.
