The editors’ councils’ call to ensure journalists’ safety ahead of the upcoming elections is a timely and necessary one, especially as journalists in Bangladesh continue to face threats that undermine both their personal security and their broader purpose.
Journalists serve as vital intermediaries, tasked with illuminating worthy issues and amplifying voices that might otherwise go unnoticed. But when reporters encounter physical threats, legal pressures, or harassment, the flow of truth is interrupted -- allowing self-censorship and fear to replace public scrutiny.
That is not the environment that journalism requires in a democratic process.
The concern expressed by media professionals cannot be considered trivial. Ensuring safety for journalists is an affirmation of the public’s right to know. Particularly during election season, when political passions intensify, the risk of targeting reporters inevitably increases -- whether through verbal abuse, physical attacks, or online intimidation.
The authorities, political actors, and all of civil society must therefore recognize that protecting journalists is integral to the integrity of the electoral process.
Guaranteeing their safety requires clear institutional support: Law enforcement must respond impartially and seriously to threats against reporters, mechanisms must be put in place to investigate and prosecute attacks, and a political culture must be built that refrains from vilifying the press.
Similarly, media organizations themselves should maintain ethical standards that can help build public trust and reinforce the role of our journalists as a credible source of information.
A free and safe press is not an optional component of democracy; it is a cornerstone. If Bangladesh wishes to hold elections that are credible, inclusive, and transparent, then the safety of journalists must be ensured through suitable and prompt action.
The news must be allowed to reach citizens without fear or fabrication; we mustn't allow the right to know to be overshadowed by the threat of harm.
