Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman has called on journalists to formally document the various problems facing both print and electronic media and submit them in writing.
He said "a structured approach would make it easier for his party to act on their concerns."
He made the appeal on Wednesday afternoon during an interaction with journalists covering the Jamaat beat, held at the Al-Falah auditorium adjacent to the party's central office in Moghbazar.
Dr Shafiq said that if journalists had a formal association, presenting their problems and proposals in an organised manner would allow the party to move forward more effectively on matters concerning the press.
He noted that such challenges were not confined to electronic media alone but extended to print houses as well, and urged journalists to bring forward difficulties from both sectors.
Addressing the journalists present, Rahman said that alongside advocating for their own rights, they must also remain mindful of their responsibilities to the state.
He described journalists as citizens of the country and as guardians of the press's watchdog role, saying his party wanted to stand alongside them in safeguarding the nation.
He also said he intended to raise the issue of journalists' salaries and bonuses, both inside and outside parliament.
During the same interaction, Dr Shafiq said his party would avoid disruptive tactics in parliament, resolving not to repeat the chaotic scenes long associated with opposition politics in Bangladesh.
Rejecting the idea of throwing files or turning violent inside the chamber, he argued such conduct solves nothing, and said Jamaat's strategy would instead be to take its case directly to the public.
He accused the government of repeatedly blocking opposition notices on pressing issues — including fertiliser shortages, electricity supply, law and order, child rape and murder cases, and rising commodity prices — from reaching the floor for discussion.
Jamaat, he said, had even proposed forming a technical team of experts to help the government tackle national problems, but the offer had gone unheeded.
Framing his party's approach as one of service rather than dominance, he noted that both the ruling party and the opposition had publicly claimed to want to serve rather than rule, and questioned why a "ruler's mentality" should persist under those circumstances.
Jamaat Amir also questioned the genuine independence of Bangladesh's media, suggesting claims of press freedom ring hollow in the face of what he called "invisible pressure" on newsrooms.
He urged reporters to expose irregularities within their own organisations, saying that if outlets would not report on themselves, others should be given the chance to do so.
He alleged his own remarks are frequently distorted when excerpted into social media graphics, calling it selective editing that strips quotes of context.
He also expressed dissatisfaction over coverage of Jamaat's recent long march, arguing the second leg drew stronger public support than the first but was not covered proportionately, and appealed for what he called the party's fair share of coverage.
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