Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

Contents

Page(s)

Introduction

Areas of research

Hypothesis

4
5-6

Research Methodology
Data and presentation and
analysis

Primary Research
Secondary Research

8-16

Research Findings

16-22
22-24

Recommendation

24-25

Conclusion

25

References

26

Appendix-1
Appendix-2

:
:

Survey Questionnaire and Responds

1. Selection of research topic
2. Research Proposal

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

INTRODUCTION
Bangladesh is not only the country of mosques and rivers but also the country of corruption &
subsequent crime. The great responsibility of imparting news of such nature lies on the
shoulders of the crime journalists of the country. The illiteracy of the countrys general
population implies that the media; the crime journalists in such cases control the manner in
which the news is perceived. The focal role of a crime correspondent is to convey the news in
a manner that does not under or over expose the original situation of the crime, hence, avoid
occurrence of similar crimes in future. But as there are no regulations or benchmarks referring
how such reporting should be conducted, yellow and unprofessional journalism methods are
giving birth to similar crimes and aggravating the crime rate of the country.

I propose to investigate the effects of the amateurish and yellow crime journalism methods
conducted by print and television media journalists on the crime rate of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a rapidly growing country; as a result investment in profitable sectors such as
television and print media has increased extensively in the past decade or so. But the
underlying problem of large but unskilled population has meant that such corporations are
forced to employ inefficient and unskilled journalists, who are carrying out heedless
journalism techniques which are leading to increase in crimes such as extortion, rape, eveteasing, murder, etc. I intend my research work to be a background report from these people
and hope that my research will help in creating awareness among the people and journalists.

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

AREAS OF RESEARCH
The main objective of this paper is to investigate the consequences of unprofessional and yellow
journalism in Bangladesh aggravating the crime rate of the country. The following research
scopes and apparent questions will be addressed:

What is crime journalism?

Who are crime reporters?
How does journalism manipulate the mindset of the mass population?
What are the effects of the ongoing crime journalism methods on the general
population and the countrys crime situation?
Who are being most affected by such heedless journalism techniques?
What are the reasons behind such forms of unprofessional or yellow journalism
and how can they be stopped?
What is the position of the government, law enforcing agencies and the
humanitarian organizations on this issue?

The Research scope and the significance of the research was based on the above mentioned
extents of the given material.

HYPOTHESIS

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a long way to go to live up to its commitments, in both national policies and
meeting international obligations. It is only then possible for its people can live free of fear of
torture, repression, curbs on free speech, or politically motivated actions that it can truly lay its
claim to being a democratic country and approach toward greater development. A free,
responsible & dependable media is a must for every democratic nation. From my study, I intend
to find that the improper journalism methods and techniques implemented by most journalists are
having a negative effect on the crime rate of our country. In common perspective,
most of our crime reporters need proper fundamental training on the presentation of crime news
based on the perspective of Bangladesh and its population (low literacy rate). A fair and
responsible depiction of news is the right of each and every individual, and most people do not
like irresponsible reporting of news that can affect them in a negative manner. I also assume that
political pressure is also a reason behind improper documentation of news regarding crime which
intends to manipulate the mindset of the mass and spread hatred and violence amidst the political
parties. As a result, people lose confidence on the journalists and the art of journalism.

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

RESEARCH
PRIMARY RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY

To accomplish my primary research, I conducted a systematic and analytical research survey of

demonstrative selection of general public and if necessary conduct my interview with the people
involved regarding this issue. To accomplish my primary research, I conducted a systematic and
analytical research survey of demonstrative selection of general public with total of 38 people
age ranges from 18-50+.The survey was primarily conducted through online survey engines such
as Google drive and surveymonkey.com. The questionnaire had:

9 open ended question and 1 close ended question

6 likert scale rating.

The number and type of respondents with their education level:

20 male and 18 female respondents.
Education level:
o O/A Level- 8
o Undergraduate- 25
o Graduate- 5

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

The entire course work within this period will be focused on collection of evident data and
information leading to design of a questionnaire with different questions which aided my
research work and providing an outright conclusion to my proposed topic.

SECONDARY RESEARCH
For my secondary data analysis comprehensive and investigative study has been performed with
the use of following sources:
Internet
Articles
Newspapers
Professional decision and their thoughts
Blogs
Consult from books involved with journalism

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

Data Analys
is

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

The following data presentation and graph analysis is conducted by primary data collection
through structured questionnaire (Appendix-1). The survey is conducted among 38 respondents
and they are represented as the sample of total population of which 20 of them are male and 18
of them are female. No biasness or discrimination is done during the survey process. All the
respondents were allowed to share their own thoughts and opinions and were not prejudiced by
any means.

PRIMARY

Source Of News
25%
20%
15%
10%

Source Of News

5%
0%

Interpretation
The chart above explains the distribution of source of news referred to by the respondents. The

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

respond received from the respondents showed that Television attracted the most number of
respondents due to the richness of the media, but the distinctive finding from response is the
alarming increase of social networking sites as sources of news. Almost 20% of the respondents
refer to social networking sites and online newspapers for news, the least favorable source being
word of mouth; which is justified. The response seen in this question is an important indicator
about the importance of truthfulness and professionalism of the journalists engaged with the
popular sources of news. It also indicates how the improper publications of news in such sources
easily affect the mindset of the people.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

Perception on the training of journalists

70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Perception on the training

of journalists

Interpretation

According to the responds collected from the respondents it can be clearly seen that the people

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

are not happy with the level of training of the journalists presenting the news in Bangladesh. The
contrasts between the results are too drastic; with 70% thinking the journalists are not properly
trained and a mere 30% believing that they are properly trained for the job. Such far-reaching
result in favor of one option shows that the journalists are indeed not properly trained; this has a
major impact on the deduction of news by the people of the country. People are bound to have
doubts on the news being presented due to such perceptions about the training of the journalists.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

13

Perception regarding fairness/truthfulness of published news

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Perception regarding fairness/truthfulness of published news

Interpretation
The main notion behind this research is based to a large extent on the belief of the people on the
above topic. The bar chart shows the perception regarding the fairness/truthfulness of the
published news. The results of the survey clearly indicate to a presumable outcome; the people of
the country ( I believe the illiterate population also does ) believe that the news being published
is either not truthful or biased towards a particular political party or group of people. However,
22% of the respondents believe the news being published is adequately alright given the
resources available to the people presenting the news which shows that at least some people still
have some faith left on the media and this can be seen as a mean of encouragement for the
people working in the field of journalism. Some people also responded to not being concerned

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

about the matter , which shows how ignorant the people; most notably youngsters have become
about the news about their countries which is in part due to the improper methodology of
presentation of news in the country.

(The next question was asked at the very beginning of the survey but is being intentionally
placed below to show relationship of the question with the earlier question )

Do you keep track of the news?

No
Do you keep track of
the news?

Yes

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

The bar chart above is being mentioned here to show that 15% of the employees have responded

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

that they do not keep track of the news in the country; this may quite possibly assumed to be a
negative consequence of the unfair and biased news being presented in the news.

The next questions were asked on the likert scale rating with the possible options being:
i) Strongly Agree ii) Agree iii) Neutral iv) Disagree v) Strongly Disagree

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

16

The news published in the Television and print media are politically biased
Strongly Agree
Agree

The news published in

the Television and print
media are politically
biased

Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

0%

20%

40%

Interpretation
In the earlier questions we found existence of biasness in the news being published. The above
bar chart shows the response of the people when asked if the news published was politically
biased or not. Unsurprisingly, none of the respondents strongly disagreed to the point. In fact,
only 8% believe that they are not politically biased! The majority of the respondents ( 63% )
believe that the news is politically biased as most ( if not all ) of the news channels and
newspapers are owned by politicians supporting either of the two major political parties BNP and
AL. The remaining respondents have chosen to be neutral signifying lack of safety and freedom
of speech currently gripping the nation.

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

17

The improper publication of crime news leads to an increase in the level of similar crimes in the society
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree

22% 14%
19%
44%

Interpretation
The above pie chart portrays the views of the respondents on the notion of improper publication
of crime news leading to increase of similar crimes in the society. A whopping 45% believe that
they do lead to increase in the level of similar crime in the society and the fact that none of the
respondents can strongly disagree show the severity of the problem in question.

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

The government has taken sufficient steps to improve the level of journalism in the country

11%
22%

33%

Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree

33%

Interpretation
The aforementioned pie chart shows whether the respondents believe the government has taken
necessary steps to improve the level of journalism in the country. The result in the survey is
clearly conclusive suggesting a sheer level of dissatisfaction on the efforts shown by the
government in such cases. Almost 67% of the people either disagree or strongly disagree to the
fact that the government has done enough to improve the level of journalism in the country. Only
a meager 11% believe the government has done work to improve the level of journalism, and
22% of them responded to being neutral.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

19

The quality of education regarding the art of journalism is adequate for the countrys current condition

8% 14%
36%
42%

Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree

Interpretation

Is the quality of education regarding the art of journalism adequate for the country of our stature?
This was the question being asked to the respondents, and their responses were very much
conclusive suggesting a re-vamp of the education system regarding the art of journalism
(provided by Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB)). 42% of the people think that the quality of
education for journalism is not up-to-the-mark given the high level of illiteracy and crime in the
country. The second majority of votes went towards the neutral bar showing that people were
either not knowledgeable about the study related to journalism in the country or did not want to
support any side of the notion. The alarming response for the government here is the minimal
percentage going in favor of the education being adequate ( only 8% ) , this shows that the

Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

government must make amends in the sector of journalism.

SECONDARY
RESEARCH
News; the thing the world runs after. As a result, proper deduction and publication of news is
vitally important. The grave duty of making the news available to the people lies on the
shoulders of journalists. The journalists are often described as the eyes, ears and mouths of the
mass people. The job becomes even more important when most of the people in the country are
illiterate and their understanding of the news depends solely on the methods carried out by
journalists. In other words, journalists can control the mindset of the population with as little as a
stroke of a pen. The media is ideally perceived as the fourth pillar of the state (alongside the
judicial, legislative and executive powers), the sensationalist aspect of newspapers and private
news television channels and the problematic role they play in society raise increasing concern
among the public. Bangladesh, being a country high in the crime and corruption rating provides
the journalists with an abundance of criminal activities to cover. For crime reporters, the
opportunities for compelling coverage are abundant and the consumer interest in reading,
viewing, or listening to it is high. With such high interest in news regarding crime it is of no
surprise that it has consistently been the number one subject of news coverage. But are the news
published always true? Bangladesh has been ranked 129th by the Reporters Without Borders
Press Freedom Index for 2011-12. What exactly could be wrong in Bangladesh? The answer lies
in what is described as yellow journalism. Frank Luther (1941) describes yellow journalism
in terms of five characteristics.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

1.

scare headlines in huge print, often of minor news

2.

lavish use of pictures, or imaginary drawings

3.

use of faked interviews, misleading headlines, pseudoscience, and a parade of false

learning from so-called experts

4.

emphasis on full-color Sunday supplements, usually with comic strips

5.

dramatic sympathy with the "underdog" against the system.

Bangladesh has always been plagued by political unrest and corruption, and these have also kept
their mark on the field of crime journalism. Outside of such incidents as the recent widely
covered Tazreen garments factory fire, which killed as many as 117 garments workers, it appears
little is known about this country to much of the world. Yet, Bangladesh was ranked 13th from
the bottom in the annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2012 by Transparency
International (TI), only one notch up from its position last year. Human Rights Watch, in its
annual report on Bangladesh, quoted Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights organization which
found that at least 1,600 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings since 2004.
Transparency International Bangladesh further stated that the corruption rate in the law enforcing
agencies was the highest, with 77 per cent of service recipients being affected. Some people
believe the current political violence and instability of late is due to yellow or heedless
journalism of some major newspaper and media. Some recent publications further prove the
claim and shed light on the matter. The most alarming incident is perhaps that of the International
Crime Tribunal (ICT) set up by the ruling Awami League government to try those accused of war

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

crimes during Bangladeshs war of independence in 1971. The tribunal has faced repeated
critique from investigations conducted by The Economist, among other media outlets.
International rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch, have also raised concerns regarding
several issues, including witness abductions and theharassment of defence lawyers. Mir
Quasem Ali, Chief Executive of theDiganta Media Corporation which owns Diganta TV and
popular daily newspaper Naya Diganta, both critical of the ruling regime, was arrested as an
accused in the war crimes trials. Popular Daily Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman and
publisher Hasmat Ali have been sued for exposing incriminating leaked correspondences of one
of the tribunal judges, which also formed the basis of The Economists investigations. Mahmudur
Rahman had previously been arrested and tortured for publishing articles critical of the Awami
League. In this manner, media critical of the regime have been suppressed. [Yellow journalism
in Bangladesh (n.d.)] . Similar trends are noticeable in leading Bangla news dailies Prothom
Alo, Kalerkontho and Jugantor and prominent online English news portals such as
bdnews24.com and banglanews24.com among others. Odhikar, in its 2012 human rights report,
states, According to Articles 38 and 39 of the Constitution of the Peoples Republic of
Bangladesh, every citizen of the State has the right to organise and participate in peaceful
meetings and processions. However, the government has systematically violated this right,
provoking confrontation and violence. Such repressive action by the government is highly
condemnable but so is the complicit action of various media outlets which have systematically
created wave after wave of misinformation targeting opposition groups, in particular the
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and ideologically affiliated student movements. Here, we shall
investigate two cases which highlight this trend.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

A recent event in the news was the arrest of 13 members of the Bangladeshi Womens Rights
Organisation (the Nari Adhikar Shongstha) in Dhaka. Police arrested them in front of the Press
Club as they were about to join a press briefing calling for the unconditional release of up to 21
detained female students affiliated with a female student organisation that works to promote
Islamic teachings and practice. A detailed report was posted by their lawyer, Barrister Abdur
Razzaq, on his Facebook page. One would expect a media outcry denouncing such arrests.
However, in a media stunt that could only turn many from the truth, the Daily Star published a
dubious onlinereport entitled 13 female Jamaat activists held. Further muddying the waters, the
online edition of banglanews24.com published an even more incriminating account labelled 13
Shibir women held in city. This title is a blatant misleading fabrication considering Shibir is a
male student organisation that is heavily stigmatised by the pro-regime Bangladeshi press and
does not include middle aged women such as those arrested. Next, we look at the other half of
the playing field. Manik(2013) states in his article Changing the Gilaf (cover) of Holy Kaaba is
a traditional ceremony in Makkah and, as in every year, it was held with due religious solemnity
in October last.Many photos of this event are found across the cyber world. A Bangla site posted
one such picture, but with the caption: The imam of the Holy Kaaba here vouches for Sayedees
good character.In January, the same photo, showing eminent personalities attending the Makkah
ceremony, popped up in a social network site. This time, there was a news report that read: A
human chain led by the khatib of Holy Kaaba protests the war crimes trial in Bangladesh. Many
photos of this event are found across the cyber world. A Bangla site posted one such picture, but
with the caption: The imam of the Holy Kaaba here vouches for Sayedees good character.
In another incident last year, as the government declined to accept anymore Rohingya refugees
from Myanmar, an online campaign against Bangladesh began using misleading captions and

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fake photos of atrocities on Rohingyas. Some local newspapers in Coxs Bazar ran some of those
photos, adding to tension and confusion among the people there. In a similar incident The Daily
Star published that 5 Bengali houses were set alight and burnt to the ground by indigenous
criminals. While in fact it transpires that 1 house, housing 5 families, was burnt in down in an
accidental kitchen fire. Which is a without a doubt a tragic story, but not the story that was
reported. Given that the political situation here is incredibly sensitive, and recent ethnic violence
in the area resulted in (reports vary on this) the death of 6 indigenous people and one Bengali,
one would think the journalist in question would perform at least some level of due diligence.
According to psychologist Karim(n.d) Any information that is not accurate definitely has a
negative impact on the mind of a person who is receiving it, when we get wrong information, we
form our beliefs and attitudes on the basis of the information that is not accurate. Such damning
evidence of media complicity with government repression of a democratic and registered
political party is confounding to say the least. Not only do these recent events explain the
stigmatization of Islamic political groups in Bangladesh, they also map out the nature of the
yellow journalism that has gripped the nations media. Other similar fabrication of information in
online information booths have led to an outrage of violence and disturbance in the hearts of the
readers and that too about sensitive matters such as regional violence (tribal regions) and
religious views. Violence is being further aggravated by the improper publication of violent
images such as gore dead bodies, ripped apart body fragments, etc. the most noticeable ones
being that of Bishwajit and a more recent one of a policeman whose hands were blown away by
cocktail explosion on the strike held on 31st April. Such images and vivid description of the
crime in the newspapers and television encourage potential criminals to engage in similar crimes
as they are now well-aware of the procedure and the aftermath of the crime being portrayed. The

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

lax law enforcement of the country and the improper justice provided for such crimes have
further infuriated the crime rate of the country. In a recent survey it was noted that the crime rate
increased by almost 30% under the current AL regime. The fabrications of news by politically
supported media have further degraded the situation of the country. So what have the
government done to stop this? Citing the Code of Conduct 1993 (2002 as amended) for the
newspapers and journalists, Bangladesh Press Council Chairman Justice BK Das said that
unconfirmed reports or reports based on rumours shall be verified before publication and no
report of an event can be distorted to influence readers. Any aggrieved person or group directly
involved with the news published in a newspaper can lodge a complaint with the press council,
he added. Distressed with newspapers, television and radio channels for making false and
misleading news to tarnish image of ministers, lawmakers and the country, the government is
considering enacting a law to prevent yellow journalism. Information minister also warned of
strict actions against false news. The government is actively considering enacting a law to stop
yellow journalism, said Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad. Replying to lawmakers'
queries; he said the government will also actively consider specifying previous experience of an
individual for being an editor of a newspaper if it gets any proposal in this regard.

The people of our country want to know the truth and only the truth, not gibberish posted to
satisfy a certain group of elites. The people want peace and the desired peace will automatically
follow if news reflect peace in the country.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

RESEARCH FINDINGS

My study through primary and secondary data has identified some of the major issues and
facts that can be summarized below:

Unless the country reverts to its foundations of democracy, the rule of law, and respect for
human rights, Bangladesh is slowly but surely entering another dark period of political
chaos and uncertainty.

Bangladesh has been plagued by yellow journalism and unprofessional journalism of the
extreme kind.

The major and most prominent newspapers and TV channels are also giving rise to
violence and obstruction via unprofessional and yellow journalism about a group(s) of
people to achieve their own goals.

Previous incidents of yellow journalism in tribal areas have led to violence and criminal
activities in Coxs Bazaar and Rangamati amongst people from different racial
belongings.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

The recent reign of terror in the country regarding religious beliefs is said to have been
caused by the improper and aggressive publication of news by a group of newspapers and
TV channels in the country.

The unprofessional journalism techniques conducted by the journalists of some news

channels and newspapers have led to degradation of the image of the country in the
international scene.

The newspapers and TV channels being accused of such crimes have not rectified their
mistakes and have continued with their improper and biased publication afterwards.

There are no strict laws as of late to punish TV channels or newspapers carrying out such
disgraceful acts across the country and the government is not taking any actions in
stopping such crime in the country.

In fact, the government is not using the state owned media for public interest. It is used
by the successive governments to serve their own interest.

The government has also failed to provide sufficient security to the journalists covering
crime scenes and the recent attacks on journalists further reinstate the point. Without
proper security and freedom of speech many of the journalists have doubts about
publishing the true news about the events occurring in the country.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

When a country whose people can live free of fear of torture, repression, curbs on free
speech, or politically motivated actions only then it can truly lay its claim to being a welldeveloped democratic country and a prosperous nation.

Throughout all the extensive research that was conducted, my hypothesis was mostly
ascertained right and a lot of information was gathered to support the claim. Heedless or
Yellow journalism is never a consecration for our country. It is destroying the foundation of
peace and harmony among us. A country can never accomplish triumph unless they are
willing to follow the righteous path.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Through comprehensive analysis and depending on the research findings the following
recommendations can be given for achieve the right successful path:
The journalists should go through proper training before joining the field of
journalism.
The TV channels and newspapers should adapt to advanced training regimes and
methods to improve the level of training of their employees.
The journalists covering crime should go through psychological training in order to
gain a proper idea about the psychology of the readers and viewers and publish news
appropriate for the viewing of all age groups and races.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

The government should set a bar or benchmark for the medias to follow when
presenting news about criminal activities. Any organization not conforming to the
rules set by the government should be punished or should go through penalties.
The current quality of education regarding journalism should be improved and newer
and much more diversified areas of studies related to the art of journalism should be
implemented.
Foreign journalists should be brought to provide the local journalists with knowledge
and expertise through different workshops and conferences.
The law enforcing agencies should provide more security to the journalists while
covering news about criminal activities.
The government must ensure freedom of expression and speech for the general
people.
The government should also provide the general people with the right to file cases
against news agencies if they publish any false news, and the cases should reach
proper verdicts without any political pressure.

Right to proper and true information is the right of every human being and every citizen of our
country. According to the right to information act the Act makes provisions for ensuring free
flow of information and peoples right to information. The freedom of thought, conscience and
speech is recognized in the Constitution as a fundamental right and the right to information is an
alienable part of it. Since all powers of the Republic belong to the people, it is necessary to

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ensure right to information for their empowerment. Thus, it is not possible to ensure prosperity in
the society with curbs on expression and improper publication of information existing in the

CONCLUSION

country. If the country is to reach a state of tranquility it is important to put a stop to yellow
journalism and work hand in hand regardless of religious or political beliefs. Then and only then
can we build the country of our dreams.

REFERENCES

Volpe.M (n.d.). The Definitive Dossier on PTSD in Whistleblowers. Retrieved March

7,2010, from http://justicejournalism.org/justnews/crimeguide/intro.html
Chowdhury.S.T ( 2012, October ). Journalism in Bangladesh: A Stricken Path.
Retrieved December 6,2012, from
http://southasiajournal.net/2012/10/journalism-in-bangladesh-a-stricken-path/

Manik.J,A. (2013, March 17). WHERE LIES REIGN SUPREME. The Daily Star.
Khan.M. (2013, March 24). THE ECONOMIST DOES IT AGAIN. The Daily Star.

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Crime Journalism In Bangladesh

BBC Bangla: Covering up their yellow journalism? (2013, March 26). Retrieved
from http://angrybangladesh.blogspot.com/2013/03/bbc-bangla-covering-uptheir-yellow.html

Hossain.M. (2013, January 31). Living off the Police State: Yellow Journalism in
Bangladesh. Retrieved March 20,2013 from http://www.theplatform.org.uk/2013/01/31/living-off-the-police-state-yellow-journalism-inbangladesh/

BANGLADESH Audacity of Hope (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://mygoldenbengal.wordpress.com/category/media/yellow-journalism/

We hate yellow journalism (2013, March 20). Retrieved from

http://www.topbangladeshnews.com/news/details/the-daily-star/2013/03/390297

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APPENDIX 1

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APPENDIX 2

34