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| Jatiya Press Club | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jatiya Press Club |
| Native name | জাতীয় প্রেস ক্লাব |
| Formation | 1954 |
| Headquarters | Dhaka |
| Location | Bangladesh |
| Leader title | President |
Jatiya Press Club is a professional association and social club in Dhaka serving journalists and media professionals in Bangladesh. Founded in 1954, it has been a focal point for press networking, cultural programs, and political discourse involving figures from South Asia and international institutions. The club's premises host interactions among members of the Parliament of Bangladesh, delegations from the United Nations, representatives of the European Union, and correspondents from news organizations such as the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and the BBC.
The establishment in 1954 followed precedents set by institutions like the Lahore Press Club and the All-India Reporter era organizations, during a period shaped by the Partition of India and evolving media in East Pakistan. Early leadership included journalists who had worked with newspapers such as the Daily Ittefaq, Pakistan Observer, The Statesman, and Ananda Bazar Patrika, as well as activists connected to the Bengali Language Movement and the Awami League. During the Bangladesh Liberation War the premises saw visits and statements related to the Mujibnagar Government and interactions with correspondents from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Le Monde, and The Guardian. Post-independence, the club engaged with delegations from the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and development bodies like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
The club operates under an elected body mirroring structures found in institutions such as the Press Club of India and the International Press Institute. Executives have included journalists with backgrounds at Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, The Daily Janakantha, and the Dainik Bangla. Governance involves an executive committee, election procedures influenced by precedents from the Election Commission of Bangladesh regulations for civic bodies, and adjudication in disputes sometimes referenced with legal principles from the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. The presidency has been held by figures who later engaged with political parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jatiya Party (Ershad), and who liaised with diplomatic missions like the High Commission of India and the Embassy of the United States, Dhaka.
Facilities include press conference halls comparable to venues used by the White House Press Briefing Room, banquet facilities akin to those at the National Press Club (United States), and library collections that hold archives from newspapers such as Azad, Samakal, and Kaler Kantho. The club provides services for foreign correspondents from agencies like CNN, Al Jazeera, NHK, and Xinhua News Agency, and hosts briefings involving ministries such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bangladesh) and delegations from the European Commission. It also offers technical amenities used by photojournalists associated with the World Press Photo and training sessions sometimes organized with institutions like Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Membership categories reflect norms of organizations like the National Press Club (India) and the Foreign Correspondents' Club (Hong Kong). Members are typically drawn from publications and broadcasters including Channel i, ATN News, Somoy TV, Ekattor TV, and international outlets such as Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. Eligibility criteria have references to journalistic practice established by unions like the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and professional associations like the International Federation of Journalists. Distinguished members have included editors and correspondents with careers linked to outlets such as Time (magazine), Newsweek, India Today, and Dainik Azadi.
The club organizes press conferences, panel discussions, and cultural programs similar to events at the Kuala Lumpur Press Club and the Tokyo Press Club. Regular activities have featured speakers from the Bangladesh Bank, representatives from the International Monetary Fund, academics from the University of Dhaka, and authors published by houses like Penguin Books and Oxford University Press. The venue has hosted book launches for works on the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, seminars involving scholars tied to SOAS University of London, and briefings during election seasons involving the Election Commission of Bangladesh and delegations from the Commonwealth Observer Group.
The club has been a platform where interactions among leaders from the Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, diplomats from the People's Republic of China, and representatives of the United Kingdom occur alongside commentary by columnists from The Daily Star and editors from Prothom Alo. It has influenced public discourse on issues involving institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission (Bangladesh), the National Human Rights Commission, and policy debates referencing reports by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme.
The club has faced criticism reminiscent of debates at other press institutions, involving allegations related to electioneering, factionalism linked to parties like the Jamaat-e-Islami (Bangladesh), and disputes over accreditation for correspondents from agencies including Xinhua and Russia Today. Legal challenges have sometimes reached the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and prompted commentary from international press freedom organizations such as Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, while internal disputes have echoed controversies seen at the National Press Club (United States) and the Press Club of India.
Category:Journalism organizations in Bangladesh