Bloggers murdered: How free is the media?

| Published: Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 14:14 [IST]

Be it the death of the bloggers or the attack on Charlie Hebdo in France, all of them indicate an intolerant atmosphere for media. Supposed to be a voice for the people, it has ironically become its patron's victim.

Take the case of Avijit Roy, the US-based, Bangladeshi born blogger, who was hacked to death by his own people for posting atheist and anti-religious content. The same holds true for the other two bloggers-Ananta Bijoy Das and Washiqur Rahman Babu who met the same fate as that of Roy.

Charlie Hebdo has left an indellible mark on the minds of the people. A French Satirical weekly magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes, was massacred for its anti-religious sentiments and ideologies that too in a free environment, unlike Bangladesh.

Why is the media targetted first

Media, the voice of the people also channelizes their opinions. An open window for the people who wish to learn and opine, it harbours knowledge about the truth and beyond truth. Religious institutions and politics are the most effected by an open media that prefers working in a hushed environment. Some may call it better administration, but there are fissures and loopholes that need public attention.

A free media is more important in a democratic country where the people elect their government and would like to know about their functionaries and democratic representatives. While some such countries have issued censorship on media, there are others that execute free media. Here is a list of countries (in news) and their media statuses according to WorldAudit.org:

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