10 April 2012

Bengali TV channels, Channel S and NTV in breach of Ofcom rules, again!

Channel S in breach over impartiality rules

Channel S is a satellite TV channel aimed at Bengali speaking people in the UK and Europe. The April 2012 Ofcom bulletin makes an entertaining read, especially at the way Channel S advises Ofcom on how and when to carry out their investigation. You can read the full Ofcom report here (page 19-27). I guess Channel S bosses dream of things being like how they are in Bangladesh! Basically, Mr Samad Chowdhury, the Chairman of Channel S used the TV channel to launch a personal attack on Syed Anas Pasha, a newspaper journalist. Mr Pasha is being accused of slandering Samad Chowdhury in a newspaper. The funniest things is, Mr Samad Chowdhury also made a claim for £10 million damages for defamation as he claims to be an "important community personality". In the internet slang term I'm "Laughing My Fucking Ass Off"!!!

Samad Chowdhury ain't no community personality, nor is his imaginary community reputation worth a penny let alone £10 million! Even if the allegation against Mr Pasha were true, Samad Chowdhury had no rights to use Channel S as his mouthpiece to attack a newspaper reporter in such a manner where he hand picked few of his puppets from the community to strengthen this attack. The news reports on Channel S was clearly one sided as evident in the Ofcom findings. 

Quoting from Ofcom report "We are concerned that the breach in this case comes after two previous contraventions of the Code rules covering due impartiality and elections recorded against Channel S in Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin 177 and Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin 188. Should there be any further breaches of the due impartiality and elections rules of the Code in future by the Licensee, we will consider taking further regulatory action."

Thank God the Bengalis living in Britain has fled such behaviours that dominates Bangladesh. Channel S claims to be leading the Bengali community in Britain. Well, let me tell you the honest truth, Channel S and its wannabe Mafia bosses drag the Bengali people backward while humiliating them.

This is not the first time they've breached Ofcom rules and it won't be the last. Any Bengali with a bit of decency must report future potential breaches to Ofcom to rid their community of this media Mafia culture. I certainly will keep an eye on Channel S, not because I find the channel entertaining but simply to help the Bangladeshi community by reporting future breaches to Ofcom. 

Earlier this year I raised an issue with the way I feel Channel S denigrates the memories of the victims of Bangladesh Liberation War. Numerous e-mails and letters were sent to Samad Chowdhury and Mahee Ferdous Jalil at Channel S. Not a single reply! Why? Because Channel S knows it's the truth and they have no defence. Damn the perpetrators of genocide against the Bengalis, damn the war criminals still going unpunished, damn Samad Chowdhury, Mahee Jalil and Channel S. One day the Begalis will see light and completely reject these phoney leaders who push their own political and business agenda, while claiming to be doing the Bengali community a favour.


BizAsia - An Asian media website reports:

Channel S has been rapped by Ofcom over its news coverage during May and June last year.

Ofcom received eleven alerts about news reports covered by the channel by a Bangladeshi journalist, Syed Anas Pasha, who was reported to have written articles concerning the Chairman of Channel S, Ahmed-us Samad Chowdhury.

According to complainants, the programmes had stated that the articles written by Syed Anas Pasha had alleged the Chairman of Channel S: was seeking to stand as a candidate for the post of UK President of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party; and that Ahmed-us Samad Chowdhury was encouraging his supporters to support him in his candidacy.

Complainants considered that the programmes were not duly impartial because the programmes included various statements and interviews with individuals, including Ahmed-us Samad Chowdhury, that criticised Syed Anas Pasha's journalism; and the programmes did not reflect the viewpoint of Syed Anas Pasha.

Ofcom concluded that the Code does not prohibit news from including critical views providing that any views that are included are reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. As stated above, there was no question in this case that the reporting was not duly accurate; the matter relates to the manner in which the criticisms of Syed Anas Pasha that were made were presented.

NTV in breach of advertisement rules

NTV, another channel broadcasting in Bangla and serving the Bangladeshi community in the UK and Europe has also recently been in breach of Ofcom rules. You can read the full Ofcom report here (page 6-9).

Ofcom report states:
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a political party in Bangladesh. A viewer contacted Ofcom, as he was concerned by the broadcast on NTV of an advertisement for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's German branch, which invited viewers to attend an event...

However, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is one of the major political parties in Bangladesh and therefore a body “whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature” (where 'political nature' includes any of (a) to (g), above). The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's advertisement broadcast by Runners TV on NTV was therefore in breach of Rule 7.2 of the BCAP Code, which prohibits “an advertisement which is inserted by or on behalf of a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature.”
It's sad that most Bengali events, functions and media etc. in the UK are run by people who have connection to political parties that have roots in Bangladesh. It's also disappointing that Bengalis in the UK are more interested in the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) rather than the BNP (British National Party) at home. Bengalis should be concerned with Islamophobia and politics in Britain and how the British National Party and EDL pose a great threat to them.

Abdus Salam

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