Md. Monirul Islam

 Media acts as a mirror of a country, and the world. The role of media in Bangladesh is also skyrocketing. Media has long been considered as the "Fourth Pillar" to protect the independence and democracy of Bangladesh. On the other hand, in reality it is going through various pressures, and limitations.

In particular, freedom of expression of opinion and news—in both these cases, there are major challenges in front of journalists. As a result, the process of bringing the truth is often hindered, which is always a threat to democracy. The incidents of attacks during the gathering of news in our meetings are not less.

Especially in any movement for democracy and people's rights. 10 senior journalists have done field work from the senior journalists regarding the challenges of journalists, they have also shared various problems and challenges which are a wall to suppress the progress and democracy of a country. Challenges and problems include political influence, narrative establishment, personal interests, adequate training of journalists and lack of pay as well as some discrimination. In this way, they are bringing forward various issues. Some of the important obstacles are mentioned among them-

1. Political pressure: Political and institutional pressure has been going on for ages as a major obstacle to the freedom of journalism in Bangladesh. It is seen at various times that journalists are faced with threats, harassment or professional uncertainty when they publish reports against ruling or influential groups. By doing this, many journalists are discouraged from working on important issues. As a result, many important issues of the media do not come up properly. On the contrary, the hands of the criminals are strong.

2. Legal Pressure: A two-pronged reality has also been created for journalists in terms of the legal structure of Bangladesh. Although various laws, including the Digital Security Act, are formed on the one hand to suppress cyber crime, on the other hand, the application of these laws is creating restrictions on freedom of expression in many cases, there are questions from various media. Many journalists complain that such legal risks force them to self-control, so they cannot reveal the full truth.

3. Expansion of local influence: The practical experience of marginalized people, and field-level journalists makes this crisis even more evident. Especially the journalists of the district, and upazila level work at relatively high risk. Local power centers, business groups or administrative pressures have a direct impact on them. In many cases they do not have effective measures to ensure their safety, which makes the situation more complicated.

4. International Pressure: Media workers are always undermined by personal and family insecurities due to fear of hegemony.

5. Ownership Influence: For a long time many media organizations have been achieving business or political interests. In order to protect this interest, there is a deep pressure to publish news. As a result, editorial freedom is not fully effective. Forced to be stuck in bias. Many important news are deliberately dropped or changed, which are in conflict with the basic principles of journalism and ethical. Concerns have been expressed about the freedom of journalism in Bangladesh in various indicators.

 Although these indicators are debated, they highlight the position of the country in a global context and bring the problems into discussion. But there are positive aspects in this crisis. Many journalists are still working bravely while maintaining professional ethics. For example, the tendency to work from investigative journalism, information-based reports and social responsibility still exists, which shows a ray of hope. Some effective steps are needed to overcome this situation.

First to ensure the safety of journalists and stop unreasonable harassment against them. It is possible to prevent this problem and dealing with political parties, organizations and businessmen if they get encouragement.

Next, the legal framework must be reformed in such a way that it does not limit freedom of expression but protects it. Besides, it is necessary to have an attitude that journalists and law and order are wrapped on the same surface. Finally, a culture of maintaining freedom and professional standards should be developed within media organizations. So that independent journalism becomes essential in a democratic society.

For this, view business, information laundering, illegal transactions and immorality should also be stopped. Only then will a media get freedom and the country will get the spontaneity of the people. Therefore, to strengthen the development and democracy of Bangladesh, there is no other other medium except to ensure the freedom of journalism.

 The writer a Law student and young researcher