DHAKA, September 21, 2026 — The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting must immediately revoke its newly issued controlling directive on Bangladesh Television (BTV) and guarantee genuine autonomy for the state broadcaster, Bangladesh Media Monitor (BDMM) said in a statement.
The organization expressed strong condemnation and deep concern over the ministry’s directive requiring mandatory prior approval for BTV’s administrative, financial, and broadcasting activities under the guise of policy oversight. BDMM noted that its official statement was published on its social media platforms in both Bangla and English on Monday.
According to multiple media reports (1, 2), the directive issued on September 8 imposes strict mandatory approval requirements from the ministry across BTV’s key operational functions. These include staff recruitments, postings, transfers, annual budgets, programming schedules, major equipment purchases, and even public awareness messages published on social media. BDMM warned that this ministerial interference directly curtails the administrative and financial authority granted to BTV’s Director General under the 2020 charter, rendering the broadcaster’s top leadership virtually powerless.
BDMM highlighted that continuing attempts to keep BTV under political and governmental control run directly contrary to recommendations made by various commissions over the past three decades, proposals from the post-July mass uprising reform committee, and the BTV Authority Act of 2001. The organization stressed that maintaining state control over the broadcaster violates fundamental principles of an independent media.
Reaffirming its commitment to free and independent media, BDMM stated that it firmly opposes any form of state interference in media operations. The organization called on the government to immediately cancel the controlling decision and take decisive steps to ensure full institutional and editorial autonomy for BTV.