Online media outlets will be registered in order to bring order in the media sector, said Information Minister Hasan Mahmud.
His remarks came on Wednesday (May 22) while speaking at Bangla Tribune’s 5th anniversary program where he was the chief guest.
Saying that the government had taken initiatives to register the online news portals, he added, “we had collected the information but it didn’t happen.”
The minister said that online portals will soon be registered and it will be done after careful scrutiny.
“It’s important that online [portals] are registered because there are instances where anyone opens up a news and starts handing out journalist passes,” he said.
Hasan, who also serves as the ruling Awami League’s publication and publicity secretary said that online news was becoming more popular by the day but there are some portals which publish news without any credibility.
“We must be relieved from this situation. Hence, work is underway to form an online guide. We have prepared it but it needs to be turned into a law.”
He said that it was longer as drafting laws for media is different than other sectors which do not require a lot of inputs and discussions.
“No other country in the world enjoys the media freedom the way Bangladesh does,” he said.
The minister praised Bangla Tribune’s effort to publish news both regular and investigative that is credible and thanked Publisher Kazi Anis Ahmed for providing the employees with due benefits.