News media stakeholders have called for a stronger self-regulatory mechanism to protect editorial independence, improve accountability, enhance journalists’ safety and uphold professional standards.
They said clear editorial policies, transparent management, accessible grievance-redress mechanisms and effective accountability systems could help rebuild public trust while maintaining a balance between media freedom and responsibility.
The observations came at a divisional consultation organised by the Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) in Khulna on Sunday to discuss professional and ethical standards in journalism and develop a viable framework for media self-regulation.
The consultation was the first in a series of divisional discussions organised under MRDI’s Strategic Action Plan on Advocacy for News Media Reform in Bangladesh (2025–2030), with support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives and the High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh.
Media owners and publishers, editors, news managers, journalist union and association leaders, university teachers and civil society representatives attended the event.
MRDI Executive Director Hasibur Rahman said effective self-regulation would reduce the scope for external interference in the media.
“Press freedom depends on audience trust. Building this trust requires news outlets to establish their own accountability mechanisms,” he said, stressing the need for separate codes of conduct for media owners and editors alongside those for journalists.
Former Media Reform Commission head and The Daily Star Consulting Editor Kamal Ahmed called on the government to announce its plan for establishing a Media Commission.
“We want an independent Media Commission where we can correct our own mistakes through self-regulation,” he said.
Referring to proposals to increase penalties under the Cyber Security Act without adequately defining offences, Kamal said comprehensive media reform was necessary.
“No situation has ever improved simply by increasing punishments or making laws more stringent. At the same time, we must ensure that we do not move towards self-censorship instead of self-regulation,” he said.
Dainik Gramer Kagoj Editor Mobinul Islam Mobin said editorial independence should be recognised as an institutional principle, with safeguards to protect journalists, uphold professional standards and resist unethical interference.
Participants said effective self-regulation would require independent editorial policies capable of resisting pressure from the government, media owners, advertisers and political actors.
Shamima Sultana Shilu, Executive Director of Manob Seba O Samajik Unnayan Sangstha, stressed professional training for journalists, saying ethical journalism was difficult to ensure without proper preparation before entering the profession.
Participants also linked ethical journalism to journalists’ financial security, calling on media owners to ensure timely salaries, formal appointment letters, lawful benefits and safe working conditions.
Hedait Hossain Molla, Joint Secretary General of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, called for greater transparency in media organisations’ financial and employment practices and a universal, legally compliant framework for appointment letters.
Sara Monami Hossain, Head of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Khulna University, stressed verification and newsworthiness in journalism.
“Reliable and necessary information is more important than a large volume of information,” she said, urging journalists to assess whether information is genuinely newsworthy before publishing or reporting it.
Also participating were Mohammad Ali, Editor and Publisher of Dainik Purbanchal; Md Ashraf-ul-Haque, Editor and Publisher of Dainik Probaho; Md Tariqul Islam, Editor and Publisher of Daily Shomoyer Khobor; Md Mizanur Rahman Milton, Editor of Dainik Khulnanchal; Gouranga Nandy, journalist; Ehetashamul Haq Shaon, Assistant Secretary General of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists; Rafiqul Islam Khokan, Executive Director of Rupantar; Anwarul Kabir Nantu, Acting Editor of Loksamaj; Ekram-ud-Daullah, Editor of Dainik Kalyan; Abul Kalam Azad, Editor of Dainik Patradoot; Sardar Al Amin, Editor and Publisher of Dainik Mathabhanga; Binoy Krishna Mallick, Executive Director of Rights Jessore; Sharmin Ara Lina, Project Coordinator of Leaders, Satkhira; Md Billal Hossain, Executive Director of Pratyasha Samajik Unnayan Sangstha; and Abdus Sabur Biswas, Executive Director of Agrogoti Sangstha.