Press without freedom is propaganda. Sadly, the press in Bangladesh is rarely independent of political influence or financial control, writes Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam. Despite these realities a press that finds itself fettered by controls - outside the ethical restrictions that responsible journalism demands - fails in the final analysis to gain the trust of the public or to influence public opinion. The public is no longer restricted to a single news outlet. From word of mouth to watchdog blogs, there are al...

Polls monitoring body Election Working Group (EWG) on Wednesday said Tuesday’s elections in Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations were full of fraudulent practices and violence. “For the misdeeds that were committed during the voting in Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations have made the process not at all trustworthy to us,” EWG director Abdul Alim said reading out a statement during a briefing at the National Press Club. The EWG’s observers stationed in 619 polling centers during the ballot came up with common observations – intimidation o...