The government will ensure full support and protection for journalists who strive to do authentic environmental journalism, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said yesterday.

Speaking at a programme marking the World Press Freedom Day, he also said he thinks journalists who expose those responsible for environmental degradation are friends of the government.

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Bangladesh Bank has to provide info that people have right to know: Arafat

The Editors' Council organised the discussion titled "A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of Environmental Crisis" at the National Press Club.

Arafat said the government's core policy is to protect the environment while carrying out development work.

He added that the government commits to not only conserving the environment but also ensuring complete press freedom.

"We don't believe in controlling and imposing regulations on journalism. We firmly believe the freer the mass media, the more the prevention of propaganda in society and bigger the space for transparency and accountability in the government."

About the Right to Information Act, the state minister said they will provide journalists with training on how they can effectively utilise the act.

The authorities concerned are bound to provide information sought by the media, but  sensitive state information will be an exception, he said.

He then gave the example of the passwords for Bangabandhu satellite and Nuclear power plant as sensitive information.

"If anyone tries to publish those, they will be considered a thief. We then will not consider what profession they are in."

About the authorities recently banning journalists from entering Bangladesh Bank, Arafat said the state bank will have to provide all the information that the public has a right to know.

"We are working to find how central banks in other countries operate and how much accessibility journalists have. We'll try to keep everything within international standards."

In this regard, AK Azad, president of Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh, said barring journalists from entering the BB without permission amid the current situation in the banking sector will only "encourage the looters".

About the industries polluting the environment, he questioned, "What is the environment ministry doing about it? Where is their accountability? Why aren't they closing down the factories [that harm the environment] or imposing fines on them?"

Azad added that corruption is on the rise while there is a lack of coordination among the ministries, which in turn results in a lack of accountability.

Meanwhile, he said, journalists are being harassed while reporting about these.

Saying the distance between journalists and the government is yawning, he proposed meetings between the media workers and the information ministry once every three months to bridge this gap.

Azad and Editors' Council President Mahfuz Anam both said that although the Digital Security Act has been repealed, there are nine other laws that directly or indirectly adversely influence independent journalism.

"There are so many laws that are oppressive. But there is no journalist-friendly law," said Mahfuz Anam, also editor and publisher of The Daily Star.

Regarding the state minister's assurance of protecting journalists who report on the environment accurately, he said, "You can issue an official statement that would bar anyone from hurting journalists who come up with objective reports on the environment."

He said that journalists and the government can work together for the environment.

"This is something we can really put our hearts and minds into … But our [journalists'] responsibility will be informative reporting, not vengeance towards anyone," he said, demanding a law supportive of  environmental journalism.

About the state minister's comment that the Digital Security Act does not exist anymore, Mahfuz Anam said even though the DSA has been repealed, victims are still being imprisoned under the act, and it's just not right.

He also expressed hope that the government will do something about the recent BB ban on journalists, which he termed "undemocratic".

He expressed solidarity with the Palestinian journalists covering the Gaza genocide, as they have been named laureates of the 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

He called for an immediate end to the massacre of Palestinians.

In her speech, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, executive director of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said reporting on river grabbing and pollution has helped them to showcase the extent of environmental degradation and legally fight those responsible.

"We need strong environmental reporting to save the environment."

Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta, also the general secretary of the National Press Club, said, "This is a crisis, and the reality is that owners of many media houses, many lawmakers and businesspeople are polluters themselves."

Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan said there are many controversial issues, which bring the government, the opposition, and the civil society into conflict with one another, but "the environment should not be one of those issues".

Desh Rupantor's acting editor Mustafa Mamun said the grabbing of rivers and water bodies is easy as the "polluters do not face protests".

"It seems everybody's responsibility is nobody's responsibility."

Pinaki Roy, chief reporter at The Daily Star, said the government took up many projects worth a lot of money and there are even court instructions and directives of the prime minister regarding pollution.

"But nothing is stopping environmental pollution due to the indifference of the field-level officials."

The discussion was moderated by Editors' Council General Secretary, Dewan Hanif Mahmud, also editor of Bonik Barta. Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman and Daily Inqilab Editor AMM Bahauddin, among others, were present.