In an unprecedented move, the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Wednesday barred some media houses from entering an unscheduled press meet of its president Nazmul Hasan at his corporate office.
Nazmul invited the press to the headquarters of Beximco, a corporate house to which he is an employee, but the reporters of daily newspapers Prothom Alo, the Daily Star, online newspaper BDnews24.com and private television channel Somoy TV were not allowed to enter the programme initially.
When the other reporters protested the move, Nazmul said that from now on all press briefings will be invitation only as the BCB has issued a media protocol recently.
‘The time is sensitive in Bangladesh and Bangladesh cricket is within Bangladesh. One false interpretation, negative news will damage our cricket. We don’t want to be part of it,’ he said.
Nazmul said the BCB believes in press freedom but it doesn’t want to be part of certain reports.
‘Anyone can write anything they want. But we don’t want to be involved in it. You can interpret one of my comments in different ways. But if the interpretation hurts cricket, I am not going to be a part of that,’ he said.
The reporters of four media houses were later allowed to enter in but by that time 19 minutes of the press meet had gone past.
-With New Age input
