Poor press coverage

By CNR Chittagong
7 September 2005, 18:00 PM
The Dhaka newspapers deserve appreciation for their detailed reports on the findings of the mobile courts against food adulteration all over the country. It is very unfortunate that the people of Chittagong have to find out such in-depth facts on the leading Chittagong restaurants/food shops from the newspapers based in the capital. The Chittagong newspapers seem to have adopted a policy of "concealment" by not mentioning the names of the guilty establishments and their irregularities. For example, the leading daily newspaper of Chittagong, in its issue of 12-Aug, only gave the total amount of fines realised by the magistrate and no other details at all! Even though this one was a case of resisting the law-enforcers and even threatening the City Corporation representative! Is this intentional because the big food merchants also happen to be the biggest advertisers? Is this fair journalism? In order to crush such unholy "nexus", the authorities should adopt a system of issuing a press release after each raid and make it mandatory for the media to print it verbatim.

It is the people's right to know. Otherwise, this section of the press should be held responsible as a party to the crimes committed by dishonest food sellers.