—Sadikur Sadik—

(Student, Islamic University, Kushtia)

Recently, various news reports have been published continuously revealing corruption of some former and present government officials, police and army personnel. Revealing corruption is one of the main features of our newspapers, and it has raised new problems for corrupt people. Corruption of several National Board of Revenue officers, a former army chief, and an inspector general of Bangladesh Police have been exposed, and some courageous journalists have brought it into light before the citizens of the country  through newspaper reports. These news reports have produced a dramatic scenario all around the country.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in an article titled “The Role of the Media in Fighting Corruption” says that the media provides information on public sector corruption where governmental activity is opaque by design or by default. The media, particularly investigative journalism, plays a crucial

role in exposing corruption to public scrutiny and fighting against impunity.

The media has made a significant and commendable contribution to the nation   investigating corruption, irregularities, and forgery in this country. In certain instances, reporters assist law enforcement agencies in their efforts to uncover corruption and anomalies hidden in society. They provide in-depth information alerting us so that the administrator’s accountability and duty towards the country can be ensured. They can be regarded as a mirror of society. Sometimes, newsmen expose corruption endangering their lives.

The state apparatus performs its assigned duties. The Anti-Corruption Commission and the police— both have significant roles to play, but in many situations, a news reporter investigates first. Questions about the responsibilities come afterwards. When it comes to uncovering corruption and irregularities among high-profile members of a ruling party or government officials, the anti-corruption commission is particularly weak at catching fraud. They ought to behave impartially regardless of authority, status, or any other identity, since nobody should be more powerful than the state and its laws.

On the other hand, newsmen play a major role in society by bringing corruption and irregularities into light for ensuring proper accountability of various government and non-government agencies. When a journalist exposes a corrupt individual through a newspaper report, the authorities become alert and the police and the anti-corruption commission look into the matter. In addition, social media also plays a big part in combating corruption in society. The concerned authorities as well as the anti-corruption agencies, such as the police, ACC, and others, are put under pressure when a crime history is shared on social media.

Meanwhile, a surprising thing is that almost all of the corrupt individuals are identified after their retirement, but why? What does it really imply? It implies that he could prevail on other departments responsible for detecting corruption because he had power over them. They corrupt everything while they remain in authority.

It is mentionable that certain positions of government offices such as that of directors and inspectors, allow officials to exercise freedom so much that they can easily fabricate false statements regarding expenses. Appropriate accountability is lacking in this regard. The newspaper is a platform where we often find reports of such irregularities. The government’s promise of zero tolerance against corruption must be put into practice. If the government is concerned about the wellbeing of the entire nation, it must demonstrate that by eliminating corruption from the country.