Media Enjoying Greater Freedom Than Before, Says Yasser

Bangla Press Desk:  State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury on Wednesday said the mass media is now enjoying more freedom than that of during any other regime.

We have no intention to impose any control on the media, and the media is enjoying more freedom during the term of this government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said.

The state minister said this on behalf of the Information and Broadcasting Minister Barrister Andaleeve Rahman while responding to a query raised by opposition lawmaker Abdul Hannan Masud of Noakhali-6 at the Jatiya Sangsad here with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir-Bikram in the chair.

He said, “With the instructions of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, we are not imposing any restriction on the media, and we have no such intention.”

Replying to the opposition lawmaker’s query on censoring a particular news item on State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque, Yasser Khan Choudhury said the mass media is independent, so news selection and publishing entirely depend on the decision of the particular media.

“We believe in press freedom, so we won’t interfere with their freedom,” he said.

Responding to another query made by BNP lawmaker Sultana Jasmine Jui of reserved women seat-50, the state minister said newsmen will play neutral role in publishing report but the government is working to check the misinformation and disinformation in news reporting.