Challenges to the News Media in Bangladesh

Abstract

This chapter examines the challenges to contemporary Bangladeshi news media and, therefore, analyses the State-media relationship, the business strategies of the media organisations, the diverse roles of the journalists, and the pattern of media uses of the audience, and how all these impact the news media. The entire Bangladeshi media, especially the news media, has experienced significant transformations since the 1990s with the development of new media technologies that coincided with multifaceted changes in society, the economy, culture and politics. Although some aspects of the media have experienced commendable growth, the scenario of the news media is still bleak; the benefits of media growth do not reach the people. As a result, both the news and news media have largely lost relevance to the audience, and there is no indication of a change in the near future. The failure of some key stakeholders in the industry, like the State, the media owners, the news workers, and the audience have mutually, if not equally, contributed to this depressing reality.