Objective journalism is more difficult than politics: LGRD Minister

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan has said performing the responsibilities of objective journalism is more tough than duties of a politician.

He made the remarks while addressing 31st founding anniversary programme of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Thursday.  Many of the challenges faced by journalists in discharging their duties can be overcome if they remain objective, he added.

The minister said, “Journalism is a difficult profession. You know that the work of politicians is also difficult. But sometimes I think that carrying out the responsibilities of journalism and performing the duties of a journalist are even more difficult than the job of the politicians.” 

When journalists write in favour of someone that person becomes pleased but when they write against someone, the person tends to point out the journalist’s mistakes and shortcomings, he pointed out.

However, he said there is a simple way for journalists to deal with this difficult responsibility and that is ‘objectivity’. “When you remain objective, that problem goes away,” he added. The minister described the journalists as the “fourth estate” of the state, and referring to the roles of different institutions and forces in running the state, he said that historically in Britain, the first estate was the king, the second was the clergy and the third was the parliament.

He said journalists did not have the right to enter into the parliament several hundred years ago. When they eventually gained that right, they came to be known as the “fourth estate”-meaning the fourth pillar of the state, he added.