3rd May, 2005 is the World Press Freedom Day. A development research organisation VOICE and Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) organised a seminar "Independent journalism: Media and good Governance" at the National Press Club to observe the day in cooperation with UNESCO.
The Seminar was moderated by renowned journalist Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul; and Golam Rahman, professor of mass communication and journalism in Dhaka University, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Secretary of SUPRO, Mr. Sharif A Kafi, Executive Director of BDPC and Fahmidul Huq, Dhaka University deliberated in the seminar as panel discussants.
Dulal Chandra Biswash, Chairman, Mass Communication and Journalism of Rajshahi University, presented the keynote paper in the seminar. He focused on the importance of journalism, control of the market on media in the age of globalisation, profit and journalism in his paper.
The discussants remarked that the role of independent journalism is important to ensure good governance. They mentioned that good governance is being threatened by turns through the violation of human rights and terror, death threats and killing of the journalists. The mass media are now threatened due to the government and non government control over media that opposes free journalism.
The discussants also highlighted the importance on freedom of expression and free journalism to reinforce democracy and progressive trend of thinking in the society while urging for better promotion of freedom of expression and free journalism for the democracy and good governance.
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