international scan
New Media Leadership: Peoples Participation and Contemporary Practices in Bangladesh Overview After countrywide 459 blasts in 63 districts within 30 minutes on August 17, 2005; the national debates was held to search the cause of this catastrophic violence. During these blasts people could not get real news from Bangladesh, they were dependent only on the news from international agencies and or e-mail from friends. But now the situation has been changed abruptly by the practices of the new media and citizen journalism in Bangladesh. Nowadays, the citizens particularly young generation widely uses mobile phone for communication. However in cities the blogging, social networking sites and online video distribution platforms are popular especially among the journalists, media professionals and development practitioners. But the grassroots reality has not yet changed as its needed parallel to the new media development in the cities. The majority of the rural poor don’t have access to the new media opportunities even to the basic information. It is true that the blast of 2005 mostly involved the grassroots youth who were innocent believers and didn’t don’t have clear concept about the modern world, culture, faith and life style. It happened, because Bangladesh could not give proper education to those ese youth generation as universal minded that could encounter fanaticism, hatred and ignorance. Not only such, because of lack of sharing and dialogue, prejudices and dogmatism are getting built up in the country. As a result indolence, violence, respect to other opinion and mutual
understanding as well free environment for free speech cannot be created which is the precondition for freedom of expression. New hope: Vision 2021 & Digital Bangladesh Bangladesh is now moving forward to build democratic and modern nation with the vision 2021. Its hopes to celebrate 50 years anniversary with dignity as a developed state. The government itself is promoting and taking favorable steps to make ICT based knowledge society, called “Digital Bangladesh”. The prime minster herself uses live video conferencing to talk with remote people. However “Vision 2021” and “Digital Bangladesh” is the main agenda of this government The new media opportunities and citizen journalism opened the golden gate to involve, inspire and encourage the unprivileged grassroots youth to participate in development process. The young generation has been inspired widely. Misguided grassroots youth could be saved from militancy, corruption, dogmatism as well as from terrorism by getting news and expressing their life views and experiences in global stages online by practicing citizen journalism. Such way the fruitful dialogue could create the environment for unity, peace and prosperity that will advance the democracy, human rights and development. Freedom of Expressions •
The constitution provides for freedom of speech and press; however the
government approved the Right to Information (RTI) Ordinance on March 29, 2009 allowing journalists and the public greater access to information. • In the present democratic environment the situation has been improved compared to previous years • During emergency period (20062008) the freedom of expression was in high tension. Newspaper ownership and content were sometimes subject to direct restriction by the military’s InterService Public Relations office and DGFI. Journalists reported being cautioned by DGFI against criticizing the government or the military. A state of emergency was declared on 11 January and the country’s TV and radio were ordered to stop broadcasting the news programmes for two days. CSB News and Ekushey TV were ordered by the Press Information Department not to broadcast “provocative” reports and commentaries. A management figure at ATN Bangla told Reporters Without Borders, “The ban on talk shows is a disaster. While there is no parliament, political broadcasts are the best way for citizens to comment on the government’s decisions.” Tasneem Khalil, Daily Star journalist and Blogger was detained on 11 May 2007 and allegedly tortured by Joint Forces because he had reported on human rights violations and had contacted international human rights organizations. He is now in exile in Sweden. Arifur Rahman, cartoonish of Prothom Alo’s Alpin, the satirical weekly magazine of the newspaper Prothom Alo, due to alleged blasphemy against Islam. egov
march 2010
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