‘What kind of journalism is this? Click-bait journalism has become the reality’: New Info Commissioner Mahfuzur Rahman

Journalist SAM Mahfuzur Rahman, who has been appointed an information commissioner, has criticised media reports about his reassignment, accusing newspapers of practising “click-bait journalism”.

Speaking to Daily Waadaa over the phone on Saturday, Mahfuzur questioned the reporting by some newspapers but did not directly address the circumstances surrounding his removal.

“I have been withdrawn from my post as the Prime Minister’s speechwriter. What kind of journalism is this? Click-bait journalism has become the reality,” said Mahfuzur.

His remarks came after some newspapers reported that the government had “withdrawn” him from his position as the prime minister’s speechwriter.

A notification issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday confirmed his appointment as an information commissioner.

However, sources familiar with the Prime Minister’s Office told Waadaa that Mahfuzur was not among the principal writers of Tarique Rahman’s speeches.

According to the sources, most of the prime minister’s speeches were written by two individuals considered particularly close to him.

Mahfuzur was not one of them, the sources said.

One source also claimed that Mahfuzur himself had expressed a desire to leave his speechwriting position and move to another assignment.

When asked, Mahfuzur did not clarify whether he had sought the transfer or what role he had played in drafting the prime minister’s speeches.

Instead, he emphasised that his new appointment was consistent with his professional background.

“I have been a journalist all my life. The Information Commissioner is a constitutional post. This job matches my career and my desire. I am happy with the decision.”