The relationship between government employees and journalists
Police escort journalist Rozina Islam to the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Old Dhaka on May 18, 2021. Photo: Star
I felt distressed and embarrassed after coming across the news of senior journalist Rozina Islam's ordeal of harassment at the health ministry and her eventual arrest. From the very beginning of my stint in government offices, I have been meeting and greeting journalists on a continual basis. I have never seen such a hostile relationship among these parties before. How did it come down to this?
In 1979, at the very beginning of my career, I met some journalists for the first time, inside the Chattogram customs building. As per a court order, we raided the premises of some business organisations in Khatungonj for a case filed under the category of falsifying product announcement, arrested some people and seized some counterfeit seals and documents. Naturally, journalists crowded the place. We briefed them about the issue. Even then, they would often come to me on a one-to-one basis or as a team to ask different questions. I would let them know as much as I could. And also, I would refrain from discussing the more sensitive issues.