The Commission for Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals has decided to make its complaint mechanism operational with immediate effect, in a step aimed at protecting media workers. The commission will begin receiving complaints manually from journalists and media professionals until its dedicated online Complaint Management Portal is fully launched. The decision was taken at the third meeting of the commission, which was held on Tuesday at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and chaired by Chairman Kamal Uddin Tipu. The meeting reviewed and confirmed the minutes of the second meeting and examined progress on earlier decisions and follow up actions. Members agreed that complaints should be received manually as an interim arrangement, so that the commission can begin addressing grievances before the online system becomes fully functional.
The commission also decided to coordinate with relevant stakeholders on issues related to the safety, protection, training and welfare of journalists and media professionals under the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021. A representative of the Ministry of Human Rights offered support in drafting the rules of the commission and in developing mechanisms for periodic performance assessment and key performance indicators. The meeting also discussed the definitions of journalist and media professional under the 2021 Act, with participants stressing the need for clarity so that the commission can carry out its work and address complaints within its statutory mandate, which sets the limits of the cases it is able to handle.
Participants also discussed job security, delayed salaries, unpaid wages, welfare arrangements, and life and health insurance provided by media organisations, which are among the main concerns raised by people working in the profession. The safety mechanisms and training facilities that are available to journalists and media professionals were reviewed as well. The meeting agreed to improve coordination and consultation with relevant stakeholders in order to improve the implementation of the law and the protection mechanisms for media workers, which indicates that the commission intends to work with other institutions as it begins to receive and process complaints under the Act.
It was further decided that the five committees of the commission will finalise their recommendations before the next meeting. These committees are working on rules formulation, complaint handling, training and welfare, the activity plan of the commission and the annual report, so their recommendations will cover both the procedures for handling complaints and the wider work of the commission during the year. Until the online Complaint Management Portal is fully launched, journalists and media professionals who have grievances can submit them manually, and the commission has said it wishes to start addressing those grievances without waiting for the digital system to be completed.
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