He said this at a views-exchange meeting with leaders of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) at the conference room of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Sunday (October 4).
The state minister said ensuring the protection and welfare of journalists is urgent. The ninth wage board was not implemented properly. Along with the demand for the tenth wage board, the issue of implementing the ninth wage board is also being considered with importance. Discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Labour and relevant stakeholders in this regard.
He said government initiatives alone are not enough; media owners also must be sincere about the rights and welfare of journalists. If the professional dignity and facilities of journalists are not ensured, good journalists may lose interest and the creation of new journalists will be hindered.
Mentioning the need to define who a journalist is, Yaser Khan Chowdhury said that alongside professional journalists, fake journalists who present themselves as journalists are putting real journalists at risk. He called on journalists' organizations to submit a unified proposal on the matter.
Regarding the Cyber Security Act, the state minister said it is not meant to control the media or stop journalists from writing. Its purpose is to keep people safe and prevent harassment, false information and disinformation spread through fake accounts. He also said the government is considering proposals from journalists that court permission be required before taking legal action.
DUJ President Md. Shahidul Islam sought government initiatives to implement the wage board. General Secretary Khurshid Alam demanded steps regarding content creators' use of journalist identity. Joint General Secretary Md. Didarul Alam Didar demanded the immediate announcement of the tenth wage board.
The meeting discussed various issues including the professional dignity of journalists, welfare, wage board implementation, the definition of a journalist, cyber security and media freedom. The state minister called on journalists' organizations to submit their demands in writing and said exchanges would continue in the future.
