Clear journos of wholesale allegations

The Editors’ Council yesterday called for promptly clearing journalists of wholesale allegations levelled against them, in a spree of murder cases, if their involvement is not found in proper scrutiny.
“The Editors’ Council wants to say unequivocally that the continuity of such action is tantamount to the abuse of the existing law and a breach of the interim government’s promise to ensure freedom of journalism,” the council said in a statement.
If journalists have committed any crime, legal action can be taken against them on specific allegations following appropriate legal procedure, said the statement, issued by the council’s President Mahfuz Anam and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud on its behalf.
It said attempts to silence journalists with repressive laws like the Digital Security Act or the Cyber Security Act, along with harassment and arrests during the previous government, were widely condemned and criticised in the international arena.
The council thinks the current trend of repeatedly filing murder cases against journalists is also tarnishing the interim government’s image internationally, the statement added.
The Editors’ Council also emphasised that journalism devoid of professionalism, and characterised by unethical practices and sycophancy, should be rejected.
It said journalists who supported the repressive actions of the previous government in the name of journalism could be investigated by a committee formed by the Press Council. If found guilty, they can be punished under the Press Council Act.
For other offences, they can be tried under the existing law based on recommendations by the Press Council, the Editors’ Council added.