Effective media work depends on enabling environ: MFC

The Diplomatic Network of the Media Freedom Coalition in Bangladesh welcomed the government’s commitment to strengthening press freedom and acknowledges the essential role of independent media in addressing the challenges of misinformation and disinformation in the digital age.

Effective media work depends on an enabling environment, including a supportive legal framework, financial sustainability, and freedom from undue influence, said the Media Freedom Coalition in Bangladesh marking the World Press Freedom Day that falls on May 3.

The MFC Bangladesh remains focused on collaboration with the Government and other public institutions, private, and international partners to promote the rights, safety, and independence of journalists and media workers across the country, the statement reads.

Signatories of the statement are Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.

Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom, reports UNB.

It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.