If there is a lack of political tolerance, the media cannot function independently: Kamal Ahmed
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If there is a lack of democratic culture and political tolerance in the country, the media cannot work independently, commented Kamal Ahmed, the consulting editor of Daily Star. He said that due to the absence of respect for dissent and democratic practices in the state and society, negative reflection is also seen in the media.
This was said by Kamal Ahmed in the opening speech of the morning session of the last day of ‘Bangladesh Journalism Conference 2026’ at a hotel in the capital on Saturday morning. The topic of discussion in this session was ‘Politico-Governance Ecosystem and Free Media’. The session was moderated by Shakhawat Liton, Executive Editor of Business Standard. The two-day international conference is organized by the Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI).
বিজ্ঞাপন
Kamal Ahmed said that after the end of the long regime, there is an opportunity for change, but there is still uncertainty about how to use it. Although the media is called the fourth pillar, it is not an institution isolated from the society. If there is no democracy, tolerance and freedom of expression in the society, the media cannot be free.
Kamal Ahmed said, there is still no such situation in the country, where people can safely express all kinds of opinions. As an example, he cited the imprisonment of one person in connection with the March 7 speech and multiple cases against a journalist in Khagrachari on the same day. He also said, “What is going on in the whole country will be reflected in the media.”
বিজ্ঞাপন
Kamal Ahmed pointed out that the tendency to ignore opposing views is deeply rooted in the political culture of Bangladesh. He said, “We are seeing majority rule in the name of democracy, but dissent is not being given enough space.”
Kamal Ahmed also sees the lack of practice of democracy within the political parties as a big crisis. He said that the political parties that do not have their own democratic structure fail to build democratic institutions when they come to power. He commented that the media could not create the necessary pressure in this case.
The senior journalist pointed out that the ownership structure, editorial leadership and decision-making areas of the media also have political influence. At the same time, he also pointed out the lack of courage, institutional weakness and capacity of journalism.
Pointing out that the various institutions established in Bangladesh have gradually become victims of political influence, Kamal Ahmed said that the Bangladesh Press Council has been given the responsibility of protecting the freedom of the media, but it has not been able to fulfill its role in reality. He alleged that the effective position of the organization was not seen even in the incident of the attack on the newspaper.
Kamal Ahmed, who was the head of the media reform commission formed during the previous interim government, also emphasized on financial independence to ensure the freedom of the media. He said, “As long as the mass media is not able to stand in a strong economic position, true freedom will not be ensured.” Kamal Ahmed also said, “The influence of black money is clear in both politics and media.”
Referring to the solution in his speech, Kamal Ahmed said that concerted efforts and national consensus are needed to protect the freedom of the media. However, he commented that there is a lack of sincerity in this case as well. He also said, “We actually cannot all agree.”
Zafar Abbas, editor of Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), former BBC journalist Anwar Shakeel, contemporary editor Shahed Muhammad Ali also spoke in the discussion.
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