The Election Commission (EC) has assured that it will review proposals from journalists and media professionals to make its newly issued Journalist and Media Workers Policy 2025 more press-friendly.
The pledge came on Thursday (September 4) during a meeting between EC officials and the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) at the commission headquarters in Dhaka.
Senior Election Commissioner Abdur Rahman said the EC values written proposals from media representatives, as these provide clarity on strengths and shortcomings.
“We will review and consider your proposals. Our aim is to ensure a fair election. We want your work to be easier and the flow of information to remain unhindered,” he told reporters.
Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam acknowledged that journalists found little new in the existing policy and welcomed RFED’s alternative draft.
“If earlier traditions had included representatives from the media in policymaking, the process might have been different. Still, your proposals are valuable, and we welcome them,” he said.
He said that overcoming the prevailing crisis of trust in the electoral process required cooperation between the EC and the press.
EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed expressed gratitude to journalists for their input, noting that mutual respect and transparency are essential. “We will move quickly to settle this matter and restore a space of credibility and cooperation,” he said.
RFED president Kazi Emad Uddin (Jebel) presented detailed proposals, urging the EC to provide affidavits of candidates to the media on nomination day, make election expense reports public, and ensure prompt release of polling centre results.
He also proposed establishing dedicated media cells at every constituency under assistant returning officers.
RFED’s written recommendations included scrapping rules requiring presiding officers’ permission for accredited journalists to enter polling stations, abolishing the 10-minute limit for their presence inside, taking legal action against anyone obstructing media work, allowing photography of irregularities in secret booths, and ensuring access to information from nomination filing to result declaration.
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