Prothom Alo’s purposeful negative reports on commodity prices are being criticized all over the country. Not only in the country, but also outside the country. In particular, the US Embassy has stepped up to defend Prothom Alo’s position. Although the country talks about press freedom in Bangladesh and other related issues, what is their picture in reality? How do journalists fare in their own country? 12 members of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), which consists of 12 Western countries including the USA, have expressed concern over the recent incidents of violence and intimidation against journalists of some media outlets in Bangladesh, including Prothom Alo.
MFC says they are concerned about the attacks on journalists during the recently held Supreme Court Bar Council election press gathering, the attack on the brother of a journalist from Qatar-based media Al Jazeera, the attack on a photographer journalist of the Dhaka Tribune and the recent detention of a Prothom Alo journalist. The Media Freedom Coalition has requested the relevant authorities to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation into each incident.
The signatories to this declaration as members of the MFC are: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the USA.
But while the USA moves so much on the rights of journalists in Bangladesh, will it move as much on journalists in its own country? Is it dedicated to protecting the rights of journalists in its own country?
Even after half a century of independence, when the USA does not take a neutral position on an issue and supports the anti-independence forces of Bangladesh in human rights reporting, it is biased in dealing with the freedom of the press; The question then arises as to what the USA really wants.
In the eyes of whites, the USA is considered safe for journalists, but this is not the case. The reality is that the situation of journalists in the USA is very fragile. This becomes clear when looking at the statistics provided by the US organization Press Freedom Tracker. In the first three months of 2023, 14 journalists have been subjected to various forms of discrimination, oppression and threats in the country. Out of these 14, five were physically assaulted. Two have been charged or arrested. A person has been threatened. Both have refused to give information. Both have been suspended from work.
Looking further back, 15 journalists were arrested or prosecuted in the USA in 2022. At least 40 were directly attacked, 10 were prevented from working. 30 had to face the court.
2020 saw the highest number of arrests or prosecutions of journalists in the USA. A total of 145 were arrested or prosecuted that year. 631 were attacked that year. In 2021, 59 faced cases or arrests. Of them, 56 were arrested.
Taking into account the first three months of 2017 to 2023, 283 have been sued or arrested in the last six years. About 1,964 were directly attacked. 76 journalists have refused to give information. Due to the attack, 203 lost their journalistic equipment. 167 have faced court notice. 83 were searched and equipment was confiscated.
Statistics show that the condition of journalists in the USA is not as good as it is perceived from the outside. In this situation, international analysts have questioned whether the USA can come to teach ethics generally, and he ethics of journalism particularly, in the case of a country like Bangladesh.
About the arrest of journalists in the USA in 2021, Joe Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said, “There is no good reason to arrest and detain journalists in the hands of the police in the United States.” Still, 56 such incidents were recorded in 2021. This shows that the problem has become huge.
According to analysts, it may not be unreasonable to question whether a country that itself has arrested journalists has the moral right to directly accuse another country. Journalistic standards and human rights standards should be equal in all countries. If so, then the US Embassy questions the rights of journalists in Bangladesh, keeping the situation of their own country so fragile.
Another thing needs to be clarified here. Anyone has the right to be offended by the news that Prothom Alo has published. He also has the right to file a case regarding this. However, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that the state or government is not involved in this. He said, “The law moves at its own pace. If someone is aggrieved and wants justice or is aggrieved and files a case at the police station, the police can take action accordingly.”
The Home Minister also said, ‘”On Independence Day, after we have progressed so far, if someone gives such fake news, then anyone can be offended, including you.”
However, the USA is basically maintaining a two-faced attitude towards Bangladesh. It is inappropriate to comment on other countries when the conditions are not favourable for journalists in their own country. Further evidence of the double-edged policy of the USA can be found when considering the country’s stance on the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, an American citizen of Palestinian descent and Al-Jazeera journalist.
Shireen Abu Akleh died on 11 May 2022, in Jenin Camp, Jenin, Palestine, in an unprovoked shooting by Israeli forces. After 10 months passed, the USA did not hold Israel accountable. Even though Shirin hsad become a US citizen, there was no such initiative on the part of the country. Only the country’s State Department claimed responsibility in a statement. Far from being loud, there was no sound in sight.
But in the case of Bangladesh, the USA is elevated along with its other allies. But why? Sukhranjan Dasgupta, in an article published in the Indian magazine India Today, highlighting the US human rights report, wrote, “This strong US support for the Jamaat in the State Department report proves a significant continuation of the US policy of supporting pro-Pakistani forces in Bangladesh.”
Even after half a century of independence, when the USA does not take a neutral position on an issue and supports the anti-independence forces of Bangladesh in human rights reporting, it is biased in dealing with the freedom of the press; The question then arises as to what the USA really wants.
