Editorial

Image of the country

Why always put the media on the dock?
Comments made by our Foreign Minister after the first ever meeting of the Strategic Country Promotional Council, a public-private body recently formed to develop ways to better the country's image, have caught our attention. The minister seemed to be under the impression that it is the media, which is responsible for the country's negative image abroad. He even cited examples of some international incidents, which did not get as much media coverage, but, in his words, local media blow similar news out of proportion, causing severe dent in the country's image. Let us analyse some of the examples he reportedly cited.

Are we to understand, from what he has said, that the news of a threat to blow up Sylhet airport should have been ignored by the media? And that too, only a few days after twin-bomb blasts in cinema halls and on the City Mayor's car? If someone did make the threat as fun, as mentioned by the minister, why did the authorities take up elaborate steps to secure all the three international airports of the country after the threat? Surely the authorities didn't take it as just a crank call?

Even some members of the Council joined voices with the minister in saying that the media overplayed the news of the recent devastating flood!

We fail to understand how, reporting the plights and sufferings of hundreds of thousands of people, who lost all their belongings in the devastation, could be termed as 'overplaying'?

In fact the wide coverage by the media of flood of this magnitude helped to generate pledges of international aid, which in fact the government itself sought, to rehabilitate the affected people.

The government must not think that the media has an axe to grind with them. It is simply doing what it is supposed to do - serve people's right to know.

The government must ensure a positive environment in the country before blaming others for tarnishing the image.