Happy Birthday to us!

Life goes on, and on December 23, I'll be another year older. This time of year, for my family, is one of many celebrations. In fact, we have three birthdays in five days, followed by Christmas Eve, and a day of travel and visiting on Christmas Day.

Hopefully, for many years to come, I will be celebrating yet another birthday, that of this wonderful news outlet. In the one year I have been associated with bdnews24.com, I have enjoyed the way it has successfully integrated social media, given a voice to the readers, and allowed people throughout the world to experience the news from Bangladesh.

I also applaud the courage of everyone involved.

Being an op-ed writer halfway across the world, the notion of courage in the publishing of an online news source may not be clear to my fellow Americans. However, I have visited nations in which publishing the truth, or at least one's own version of the truth, could be dangerous.

When I press the "submit" button, I often echo the words of the Christian sermonisers, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, my Rock and my Redeemer". But lately, I have added a prayer of safety for the people of bdnews24.com, and all who publish the news in Bangladesh.

Perhaps this is an unnecessary precaution on my part. However, I read with trepidation that certain subjects remain taboo, no matter who is in power. When I submit an article for publication, I am aware that publishing criticism is still very much an act of courage on the part of my publishers.

On the other hand, in 56 articles, I have never had my content changed due to editorial fears. Still, I am aware that censorship is not unknown in Bangladesh. Even here in the United States, this weekend I heard a father warn his son about making a joke about blowing things up, because since the so-called "Patriot Act" we have come to fear the government's censorship of our words. Personally, I do not believe that any people should allow government the power to restrict speech, except in the reporting of military secrets. Most governments go way too far in their efforts to control what people say.

In Bangladesh, censorship has ranged from the blocking of YouTube in March of 2009, to blocking Facebook in May of 2010. As recently as September, the Ministry of Information imposed a ban on foreign movies, and worse still, according to several sources, it imposes a ban on political advertising, except by the ruling party. Criticism of individuals is, likewise, extremely curtailed.

A visit to the website of the Film Censor Board shows that, at least by statute, it's nearly impossible to make a significant movie and have it played in Bangladesh. Of the films that were listed on the website as "English Language Censored", I was surprised to find films like  "Pride and Prejudice", "Shrek", and "The Chronicles of Narnia"…

… I mean "Pride and Prejudice?"

Also, the censors hardly banned any chick flicks. What a skewed version of America you guys are getting when all you can watch is Julia Roberts movies! We not that tiresome or whiny. If I had my own country, I'd ban the whole genre of Romantic Comedy, even though it would mean the mass exodus of sentimental women, and the men they drag to those things.

In the US, either by voluntary censorship or FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulation, our newspapers and television do not broadcast voyeuristic images of victims of violence. I read many Bangladeshi news sources (in English) and I notice that such restrictions do not apply over there. In this regard, bdnews24.com has shown self-restraint and decency, so that I feel that I can allow my children to read the website without fear of sensational images. Still, why prohibit such images? I say, let the consumer decide what is appropriate and what is not.

In my humble opinion, the only legitimate form of censorship should be censorship of the marketplace. Certainly, betrayal of military secrets that may put the nation at risk must be considered a (very narrow) exception.

My research has indicated that the government has moved to shut down certain papers over the last five years, such as Amar Desh in June of 2010, and took Channel One off the air in April of 2010. These disturbing trends aren't limited to Bangladeshi television.

In the United States, the risk one takes when one decides to publish a paper is minimal, and the consequences are mostly economic. I enjoy good working relationships with the editors of the papers I write for here, and while they are sometimes blasted by the people about whom they report, the threat of anything more alarming than a lawsuit is extremely rare. In Bangladesh, the creation and continued publication of a paper such as bdnews24.com constitutes an admirable act of courage.

I am glad to see that reports that vilify governmental treatment of the press and critique of censorship are allowed to make their way into the local press in Bangladesh. Certainly, this speaks of a certain level of freedom of the press unavailable in many nations throughout the world. Also, as Bangladesh grows as an economic world player, the consumer appeal of supporting a thriving democracy  versus buying products in countries like China make support of freedom of the press more important than ever.  This "Keeping up appearances" is the best check against crackdowns and censorship. In any case, why should a government worry about criticism? Doesn't criticism help us to improve ourselves, whether we are governments or individuals?

This year, I noticed that many cases involving harassing the press deal with local politicians who may find their names appearing unfavourably in the pages of a newspaper. These locally empowered individuals may strong arm reporters because they do not fear legal consequences. For instance, I read about a case where when a local leader was accused in the press of chopping down public trees for personal gain, the reporter who broke the story was assaulted. In another case I researched. Nuruzzama, a writer for Manabzamin was told he would be arrested in a mugging case, although he was innocent, because he published an unfavourable story.

I don't believe these cases represent the official position of the government vis-à-vis the press. I think it is more an indictment of what politically connected people are able to get away with. This is the type of local corruption that both parties must take responsibility for and self-regulate. Such attacks on the press undermine the credibility of democracy in Bangladesh, and should be controlled at the highest levels.

Some hopeful signs indicate that the current government has made strides toward decreased censorship. Freedom House, a watchdog of world press freedom, noted that the number of journalists harassed by security forces has decreased in recent years. In terms of freedom of the press, Bangladesh scored a rating of "Partially Free", and ranked 24th among the 40 nations ranked in the Asia/Pacific area. In comparison, India ranked 18th and was also listed as "Partially Free".

The lower the ranking of the nation on the scale of freedom of the press, the braver the journalists must be to report the truth. To take the bold step of creating the nation's first internet news outlet under adverse conditions is admirable and brave. The survival of this media outlet is a tribute to the courage (and insomnia) of the writers, editors, staff and advertisers.

So, this year, when I blow out my own birthday candles, I will make the wish that bdnews24.com and I both continue to celebrate our birthdays for many years to come.

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Frank Domenico Cipriani writes a weekly column in the Riverside Signal called "You Think What You Think And I'll Think What I Know." He is also the founder and CEO of The Gatherer Institute — a not-for-profit public charity dedicated to promoting respect for the promoting respect for the environment and empowering individuals to become self-taught and self-sufficient. His most recent book, "Learning Little Hawk's Way of Storytelling", teaches the native art of oral tradition storytelling.