State, media owners must help protect independent journalism

Govt’s good intentions must translate into urgent, credible action

Concerns over freedom of the media are not new in Bangladesh. There has been debate, criticism, and international assessment for many years. Bangladesh’s position in various global indices has also come up repeatedly, with the latest World Press Freedom Index putting it at 152th place out of 180 countries.

There is a significant overlap, as we are essentially describing the spread of authoritarian propaganda techniques in democracies, accelerated by the technologies of the digital age.

Do you feel exhausted trying to find reliable facts about everything happening around you?

Five senior journalists remain behind bars for between 593 and 620 days in Bangladesh. None of them have been formally charged since their arrest after the 2024 July uprising.

Scrap provisions of laws that threaten journalists

Freedom of expression, enshrined in UN human rights instruments, UNESCO declarations, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, remains a cornerstone of democratic societies. It ensures that journalists can report facts, hold authority to account, and document history as it unfolds. Though protected by law, these rights are often taken for granted. Journalism, in its pursuit of truth, continues to carry inherent risk.

Authorities must ensure journalists’ safety, uphold press freedom

Journalists yesterday slammed the government for failing to protect media houses and workers from mob violence, saying stalled reforms and bureaucratic inertia have left the press more vulnerable than ever.

The image of a burnt copy of The Daily Star, dated Victory Day, is difficult to shake off. It stays with you long after you scroll past it on your social media newsfeed—not because it is dramatic, but because of what it reveals.

For an aspiring journalist like myself, there could not have been a better training ground than the East Bengal Times.

Self-regulation is a moral and accountable means through which the media makes itself responsible to the public

Martin Moore and Thomas Colley, authors of Dictating Reality: The Global Battle to Control the News (2025), discuss how governments worldwide manipulate the media, reshape public perception, and construct competing realities in an age of digital disinformation. The interview was conducted by Shamsuddoza Sajen of The Daily Star.

The Daily Star joins the freedom-loving world today in observing the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.

Bangladesh urgently needs an independent media commission and laws to protect journalism and journalists in order to strengthen press freedom, speakers said at an event yesterday.

More than half of the countries, registered a drop in one of the five key democracy indicators between 2019 and 2024

Muktadir Rashid Romeo verbally abused, forced out of courtroom

In response to concerns of the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh regarding overall media freedom and journalists’ safety, the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing yesterday said there has been “no government interference” in media operations since it took office.

He also criticised the growing climate of fear and self-censorship in the media