Media houses can’t sack journos arbitrarily: Arafat

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat today said that no media house can retrench journalists suddenly or with short notice.

"Notice of retrenchment to anyone must be served at least three months before implementation," he said at a meeting with a Broadcast Journalist Centre (BJC) delegation at his ministry's conference room in the Secretariat.

The state minister also said that the government doesn't want to suppress freedom of speech while preventing misinformation.

Arafat also agreed to a demand placed by journalists to bring social media under a policy and ensure accountability.

"As journalists underscored the need to bring all social media, including YouTube and Facebook, under a policy and accountability, I, as the state minister for information and broadcasting, agreed to the demand and will try to fulfill it after consulting with journalists and other stakeholders," he said.

Legal action will be taken against the journalists involved in irregularities, he warned.

At that time, the state minister sought cooperation from journalists in fulfilling their (journalists) demands.

The work of digitising the cable network service across the country will begin soon, he added.