Ganamadhyam

A Hefty Volume on Contemporary Mass Media in Bangladesh

The world of mass media in Bangladesh is very rich. But as in other places, it also has many challenges and opportunities. Writers experienced in this area regularly shed light on developments in the realm of mass media by publishing articles and essays in newspapers as well as through broadcasts. These write-ups and broadcasts usually prove useful for newcomers in the field as well as working journalists, students, scholars and researchers. The volume 'Ganamadhyam', edited by a veteran media personality of the country Muhammad Jahangir, has been compiled and edited based on this felt need of concerned people involved with the print and electronic media. 

The compilation includes articles, interviews etc., of media personalities, writers, journalists and broadcasters on the themes of newspapers, television, radio, films and the global media. Pages 11 to 104 cover the theme of 'television', pages 105 to 256 dwell on 'newspapers', pages 257 to 278 cover radio and films, pages 279 to 302 focus on the international media, pages 303 to 330 bring forth reminiscences, and pages 331 to 415 touch on miscellaneous themes. The list of contributors is quite long and include luminaries in the field like Badruddin Umar, Hanif Sanket, Kamal Ahmed, Syed Abul Maksud, Ahmad Rafiq, Kuldip Nayar, Sakhawat Ali Khan, Mizanur Rahman Khan, Ali Riaz, Shayikh Siraj, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Golam Sarwar, Shahriar Kabir, Ferdaus Ahmad Quraishi, Forhad Mazhar, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Shahedul Anam Khan, Robayet Ferdous, Ajay Dasgupta, Hamid Meer, Abed Khan, Shahjahan MIah, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Anisul Haque, Kamal Lohani, Sheikh Abdus Salam and the compiler himself. 

This initiative is not the first of its kind by Muhammad Jahangir. He had previously edited three other similar volumes in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The editor acknowledges that he could not sustain the venture at that time mainly due to failure in getting sponsorship. Later, two other volumes were published by the Subarna Prokashani and Sraban Publishers. The present volume could be brought out largely due to the interest shown by the proprietor of Dhaka's Nabajug Prokashani, he concedes. 

The editor opines that publishing this kind of compilation should have been the responsibility of the government-run Press Institute of Bangladesh, because such publications serve the purpose of a useful reference on the contemporary mass media. He informs that he has compiled the volume through a rigorous process of screening from published materials in different media. While selecting, the compiler took into account whether the write-up would remain relevant in future, whether it was informative and thought-provoking and had reference value.

The volume brings to light many problems existing in our mass media as well as question-marks about the roles of relevant government organizations, which the compiler opines are unlikely to be resolved in the near future. Despite these difficulties, journalism in our country is quite rich. The readership is also expanding despite the fact that a small proportion of educated people read newspapers. But according to the editor, the questions of quality, objectivity and ethics continue to haunt different segments of our mass media. 

Television is now a powerful media in the country. The numbers of channels as well as their audiences have also increased significantly in recent days. In fact, production of television programmes has now become a big business in Bangladesh. Many talented youths have become involved in this creative trade. But the compiler laments that the number of viewers watching Indian TV channels in the country outstrip those watching Bangladeshi channels, as evident from various audience surveys. He also regrets that the number of write-ups on television is quite small despite it being a powerful media. Most of these write-ups carry interviews of star performers as well as highlights of their programmes. Constructive and issue-based articles are found to be few and far between. The same applies to our radio and filmdom as well, although both are powerful media. 

The volume 'Ganamadhyam', provides a comprehensive picture of contemporary mass media in Bangladesh and is likely to prove highly useful to the journalists, media practitioners, professionals, students, scholars, teachers and researchers engaged in different areas of the print and electronic media. 

The reviewer is a senior civil servant and former editor of 'Bangladesh Quarterly'. Email: hahmed1960@gmail.com