Bangladesh's media paradox

Over the past two and a half decades, more than half of the world's journalists have left or been compelled to leave formal employment. Nearly 40 per cent of printed newspapers in the West have closed down. That storm is now hitting journalists and media institutions in countries like ours.

In Bangladesh, the mainstream media have been weakened by revenue uncertainty. Most media organisations face declining readership, viewership and listenership, a loss of credibility, and an existential crisis.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has added another challenge, with machines performing some journalistic tasks faster. Many observers believe journalism as a profession, particularly the need for professional human journalists, will be challenged. But has traditional media reached this state solely because of technological advances, or was there a deficiency at the heart of its work—professionalism?

Seeking the truth, uncovering it, telling it, presenting it, informing people of it, upholding it in society and fighting for it in the state are a journalist's professional responsibilities and the fundamental elements of journalism. Given the state of the media, it cannot be claimed that the principle of presenting "the news as it is" has been followed universally. There has been a lack of understanding of this profession, both inside and outside the industry, at least in our context.

Like other established professions, many people entered journalism without understanding what makes it different. Some consciously embraced its noble calling. Others used it to climb the ladder of fame, prestige, power and social influence.

For many, journalism's political and cultural mission, and the journalist's role as a conscientious, thinking "messenger", remain secondary. As a result, both the profession and the person become trapped in working methods and the brand of their employer.

The limitations of journalist leadership in understanding and practising truth weaken individual development and the will to serve the public. Those who could lead change seem afraid of change and lose their way. Their philosophy becomes: "The truth that you create is the truth; everything that actually happens is not necessarily true."

The decline of the media

People no longer read printed newspapers or watch television sets in their living rooms as they once did, but they still follow the news. Despite this opportunity to "sell" information, journalists are losing their jobs and media organisations are sinking into revenue crises. The problem is commercial: the ineffectiveness of the advertising-revenue-based business model of newspapers and electronic media.

Yet the real problem lies elsewhere.

The media have lost prestige and usefulness in the eyes of readers and viewers. For many, reading newspapers or watching television is no longer essential. Life goes on without consuming what newspapers print or television channels air; social media users encounter news automatically, perhaps even more than through traditional outlets. Amid this technological transformation, credibility eroded during 15 years of authoritarian rule. 

Sheikh Hasina, an undemocratic ruler, offered the "freedom" only to praise her. Most media houses and her allied oligarchs rushed into the fire like moths drawn to a flame. They failed to understand why people would consume mass-media content they viewed negatively. And if a media outlet lacks popularity, why would advertisers support it?

This decline follows a vicious cycle: when truthful news is not disseminated, newspaper circulation or television viewership falls; credibility and influence diminish, and revenues collapse. Some may have forgotten that the media's job is to keep searching for the truth. But the media are not the sole distributors of truth. Once journalists regard themselves as the owners of truth-making, the cultivation of half-truths begins. When people perceive deviations from truth, the media have no "business" left.

A march of "abandoning" the profession

During both stints of the Sheikh Hasina regime (1996–2001 and 2009–2024), the Prime Minister's Office exercised varying degrees of control over appointments and important responsibilities within many media houses. Professional organisations and journalist leaders tried to avoid such interference.

That did not protect them. Many lost their jobs because of their professionalism, while others were dismissed after being labelled sympathetic to opposition parties.

The rise of freer journalism in Bangladesh and the arrival of university graduates in large numbers were driven mainly by two factors. First, the advance of democracy following the fall of the authoritarian Ershad government in the student-mass uprising of 1990; and second, the implementation of salaries and benefits under the Wage Board Awards, which helped attract and retain talent.

In the early years of this century, some journalists in wealthy countries began moving into other professions for higher salaries, while educated Bangladeshis continued to devote themselves to journalism. The latest Wage Board Award was implemented in 2013, the year before the 2014 polls described as an election without a vote. Even then, not all media organisations complied, and electronic media remained outside its coverage.

When media freedom was curtailed from 2007 until the 2024 revolution, many became uncertain about the profession's future. Political repression and economic hardship intensified, and even regularly salaried journalists moved to corporate and other jobs. 

After the 2024 changeover, immediate measures were taken to remove what were seen as undesirable elements in the media, but the comprehensive initiative needed to repair this "fourth estate" has yet to materialise. Meanwhile, AI has heightened fears of professional irrelevance, while those with opportunities are waiting to "migrate" elsewhere, away from the media or even the country.

Corporate interests vs public interest

Freedom of conscience, thought and expression is a fundamental right recognised by international laws, treaties and norms, and by democratic constitutions. This freedom is not anyone's inherited property; it belongs to the people.

Elected governments must establish laws and regulations allowing reporting and opinions both for and against them. A vibrant media is indispensable to a democratic state. Historically, newspapers emerged alongside political processes.

Commercial investment in the 20th century encroached upon the social ownership of the media, transforming it into modern corporate media. Journalists became corporate employees, and journalism became a propaganda apparatus of the corporate-power nexus. Investors came to be regarded as the owners of media freedom. 

Whether in America or Bangladesh, why would readers and viewers pay to consume whatever an outlet promoting power and wealth chooses to disseminate? The way such outlets operate reveals the character of a predatory capitalist.

For corporate media, public interest becomes dispensable. Corporate thinking, whether that of an owner or advertiser, often assumes that money can buy publicity and suppress news. Over the past century, the media's historic mistake has been building a business model around advertising as a subsidy or source of profit. When media organisations lose popularity and credibility while serving corporate interests, those corporations turn away from them.

The internet has brought another transformation. Perhaps even "bigger fish" will dominate this corporate ocean unless political authorities create an environment where public interest takes priority in the media.

Who, then, is a journalist today?

The professional news worker is called a "working journalist" in English, primarily to distinguish such a person from investors, managers or hobbyists. Unlike doctors, judges or military officers, the word "journalist" is not placed before their names, perhaps because becoming a journalist requires lifelong effort.

It is not enough for journalism curricula or newsroom guidelines to specify the education, intellect, culture, honesty, dedication, responsibility, moral strength and human consciousness required to understand truth and establish it in society.

Journalists who abandon ethics lose the right to remain in the profession. And should those who remain committed to truth despite hardship, poverty and threats not receive greater respect?

A group of high-quality journalists can establish a good newspaper or television channel. There are examples in Bangladesh and elsewhere. This ideal is undermined when journalists are hired and dismissed according to corporate whims rather than their work, discipline or honesty. In such an environment, newsroom debate disappears. Neither the organisation's commitment to truth nor the journalist's judgement and insight emerge.

Journalists are then forced to say, "I work for such-and-such an organisation." This does not help their development; commercially, they do not even build a personal brand. If such employees believe that whatever they write or report will automatically be accepted as truth, the fall of the Hasina government and its associates in 2024 would not have occurred.

A journalist's credibility is indispensable to the credibility of news. Becoming a cheap celebrity or wealthy person is not a primary goal of journalism. The discipline is to learn about events and people day after day without seeking recognition, illuminate problems and possibilities, and share that information.

It is a daily struggle to tell life's stories objectively, overcoming greed, temptation and fear to disregard the influence of power and wealth. In one sense, a journalist's task is simple: collect information and present it without distortion. Yet it is also a prophetic task, because the journalist's narrative must be pure, unadulterated truth. Such a person becomes a more evolved human being, and their collective institution a social asset. What purpose is served by imprisoning such a journalist in a job?

What does the near future of journalism look like?

It is painful for media professionals that people worldwide no longer pay as much attention to the media as they did recently. One reason may be that newspapers and television have been "exposed" in the eyes of ordinary people, who have found social media to be their mirror.

Recognising this, media organisations are appearing on networking platforms to maintain their existence. Meanwhile, some journalists, analysts and activists on Facebook or Youtube have attracted larger audiences than mainstream media organisations. In both cases, the primary beneficiary and, to a large extent, the controller is the platform owner.

Amid this turmoil, corporate media blindly follow trends while searching for an old-fashioned "nutritious meal at low cost." Under cost-cutting policies, they seek to remove as many high-quality journalists as possible. AI has provided an opportunity for media executives who lack independent thinking.

AI can quickly collect online data, edit it, and correct grammar and spelling. Given a prompt, it can write stories or analyses. Yet these executives fail to understand that such writing is neither original nor emotionally engaging.

Almost everyone imitates whatever media product gains traction. Media organisations employ various tactics—maintaining digital platforms, following trends and using AI to improve efficiency and productivity—but devote less attention to distinctive reporting, analysis and journalistic creativity.

Despite repeatedly invoking "unique content", they present readers and viewers with a great deal of "junk" content.

The continuing demand for truth is evident in the abundance of content on social media, ranging from "bullshit" to high-quality work. Netizens watch videos and read stories, analyses and opinions shared by mainstream media. The prevalence of rumours, misinformation and fake news also shows that truth is not established merely by possessing or publishing information.

What is needed is a truth-telling activist—and that person is the journalist. In the battle between narratives of good and evil forces in society, truthful journalism has an opportunity to regain its relevance.

—

Khawaza Main Uddin is an award-winning journalist, media critic and analyst of current affairs. He can be reached at khawaza@gmail.com.