Business groups use media outlets owned by them for their commercial interests, says the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
The government boasts about the number of TV channels operating in the country, but the reality is licences are given to people, mostly businessmen, who are known to be pro-government, says recent research by the anti-graft advocacy group.
Findings of the research were revealed on Monday (Dec 9) during a discussion styled ‘Challenges of Investigative Journalism: Occupying Mass Media’.
TIB Outreach and Communications Director Shiekh Manjur-E-Alam presented the key findings of the report at the discussion held at the TIB offices in Dhaka.
According to TIB’s findings, media owners force its employees to maintain a good relationship with the government.
Owners use media outlets for negotiations with authorities, which the study says often proves to be 'effective'.
Apart from one or two, most of the media outlets fully depend on advertisement revenue and subsidies from the owners, the TIB report said before concluding that it directly affects the editorial policy.
Media outlets can’t run any story, which goes against the owner's business interests, it added.
Citing a report of rights body, 'Ain O Salish Kendra', the TIB said at least 207 journalists have been tortured, harassed by the leaders of the ruling party and law enforcers in 2018.