Journalists and academics at a discussion here today underscored the need for institutionalizing the country’s media to eliminate media fascism.
The media must be institutionalized as media has also been fascistised in the past. Fascism can never work alone; rather it works in coalitions with monopoly businessmen, media, intellectuals and the middle class, said speakers.
They were addressing a discussion titled ‘Fascist’s narratives vs public’s mass media’ at Dhaka University’s RC Majumder auditorium.
In the seminar, journalists and academics also urged the country’s media outlets to conduct a self-investigation on why the country’s media failed during the 15 years of fascism.
Press Institute Bangladesh Director General Faruk Wasif said, “Fascism cannot run alone.
Fascism forms alliances. It creates monopolistic power such as monopolistic middle class, monopolistic business class, monopolistic media and a handful of intellectuals.”
“Fascism establishes many concepts to establish its position. First, it elevates itself to the level of a God and dehumanizes the enemies,” he said adding, “Later, the fascist victimizes themselves the way Israel does... the Awami League also shows itself as a victim.”
Chief Adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam pointed out that failure of journalism is the reason for the advent of fascism in Bangladesh. There has been no good journalism in Bangladesh in the last 15 years, he said.
“The legal history of Bangladesh in the last 15 years is a very bad history. We have no good reports on major events, he added.
New Age editor Nurul Kabir said, “One of the major tasks of fascism is to seize history. Because, if the past can be politically controlled, justification can be made about the present.”
Associate Professor of DU Mass communication and Journalism department Dr Khorshed Alam presented the keynote speech at the seminar, which was also addressed by BTV Director General Mahbubul Alam, Daily Star Bangla editor Golam Mortoza and Prothom Alo English department head Ayesha Kabir.
