Journalistic Professionalism in a Time of Paradoxes: Ntv Online and “Alternative Voice” in Bangladesh

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the specific work mechanisms journalists use to promote the ideology of good and independent journalism at the online news services of Ntv station in Bangladesh. Along with the journalistic scholarships on issues of heightened state surveillance on broadcast and online communications by the hybrid regime and its relation to broader questions of how dissidents and alternative voices struggle to gain visibility in the context of media freedom and democracy in Bangladesh, the theoretical framework of the political economy of communication and concepts of alternative voice are employed in this study. It scrutinizes the implications of state control measures upon journalistic praxis and examines how journalists at Ntv Online – a digital section of this television station, perceive the “alternative voice” to become the place for public deliberation. Built on field-based case study research and in-depth interviews with reporters and editors at Ntv Online, this study reveals that Ntv Online is materializing the concept of “alternative voice” by opening up access to media production. This is empowering those who are involved in news-making processes. At a professional level, this study aimed to contribute to the online news-making process while capturing the experiences of conflict and challenges journalists face.