Journalists' unity is crucial: Nurul Kabir

Nurul Kabir, President of the Editors' Council and Editor of the English daily New Age, said that the aspiration to establish democracy is not a criminal act. 

However, state and governmental forces—through legal means or brute power—are attempting to suppress the institutions working to realise this democratic vision. 

In response, journalists must foster strong unity among themselves and engage in collective action.

He made the remarks during his opening speech at the Media Convention 2026, held on Saturday morning at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh auditorium in Dhaka. 

The event was jointly organised by the Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) and the Editors' Council.

Nurul Kabir stressed that newspapers and other media outlets are not merely platforms serving the interests of a few hundred, or even thousands, of journalists. They are vital instruments for channeling the democratic aspirations of society at large. If these institutions are silenced or rendered inactive, fundamental rights across the entire society will inevitably suffer.

He described the recent attacks on media houses as deeply traumatic, with effects that may linger for a lifetime. .

Specifically referencing the assault on The Daily Star's office, he clarified that it was not merely an expression of anger against a building or its content. In the 21st century, amid global civilisational progress, trapping journalists inside and setting fires around the premises—while blocking firefighters from intervening—represents a return to medieval barbarism, akin to attempting to burn people alive.

"Today, two newspapers were targeted; tomorrow, it could be others," he warned. 

In such circumstances, unity among media professionals is more important than ever.

He further noted that media development in any country is inextricably linked to the broader democratic progress of its society—a truth that holds worldwide. Even in revolutionary moments, there is often an impulse to muzzle dissenting or independent voices.

One newspaper office was vandalised, while another was set ablaze. These acts were perpetrated in the name of democracy, yet they occurred after the mass uprising a year and a half ago that overthrew dictatorship. 

As the nation strives for genuine political and democratic reforms, such attacks undermine the very spirit of that uprising—the democratic ethos of July.

Nurul Kabir concluded by urging everyone in the media community to unite at this critical juncture, as those responsible for the violence are attempting to pervert and destroy the original democratic spirit of the July movement.