A sharply worded opinion piece published in the Organiser magazine has accused certain media outlets of abandoning impartiality and transforming journalism into a form of moralistic judgment, particularly in their coverage of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League in post-uprising Bangladesh.
Titled “Bangladesh: When Journalism Becomes Judgement!”, the article was written by Sangita F. Gazi, a lecturer at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Transatlantic Technology Law Fellow at Stanford Law School. Gazi, who previously served as an assistant legal adviser at the US Department of Justice-OPDAT at the US Embassy in Dhaka, argues that true journalism requires rigorous accuracy, context, and balance—qualities she claims are increasingly absent in narratives that simplify complex crises into convenient blame games.
The op-ed singles out a recent article by Netra News, a NED-funded news portal run by expatriate journalist Tasneem Khalil, as a prime example of this problematic trend. According to the writer, the Netra piece relies heavily on disputed audio recordings attributed to Sheikh Hasina—containing phrases like “eye for an eye,” “guerrilla warfare,” and “revenge”—to portray her as the primary instigator of renewed political violence in Bangladesh.
Khalil, an expert on religious extremism, actively supported the anti-quota student movement of July 2024—backed by Jamaat-Shibir—and the subsequent jihadist-army coup of August 5 that unseated the Awami League government.
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It suggests these alleged private statements “renewed” turmoil and that there are “signs her wishes were fulfilled,” yet provides no concrete evidence linking the recordings to specific acts of violence.
Gazi highlights methodological flaws in the reporting: while forensic analysis by the Tech Global Institute found no conclusive evidence of AI manipulation and concluded the majority of recordings likely feature Hasina’s voice, this establishes only “probable authenticity,” not causation or agency. The piece allegedly ignores Hasina’s numerous public statements since August 2024—delivered via official Awami League social media channels and over 30 international interviews—favouring instead a selective focus on questionable private audio to build a narrative of vindictiveness.
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The author stresses that the broader political context undermines such a simplistic “Hasina speaks, Awami League kills” storyline. She points to the interim government’s policies granting immunity to participants in the July-August 2024 uprising who confessed to killing police officers and destroying public property, creating a form of “victor’s justice.”
In contrast, Awami League members, activists, and sympathisers—including academics, economists, journalists, and former bureaucrats—face widespread repression through police arrests, mob lynchings, custodial deaths, and operations like “Operation Devil Hunt” and “Operation Devil Hunt 2.0.” Gazi notes the destruction of Awami League offices, the historic burning and looting of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence at Dhanmondi 32, and severe restrictions on Bangladesh Student League affiliates, who face criminal charges, campus bans, exam denials, and certificate revocations.
Despite this imbalance, Gazi argues there is no clear evidence of organised, centrally directed retaliation from the Awami League—only limited small processions—complicating claims of a coordinated violent response to Hasina’s words.
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The op-ed further criticises Netra’s reliance on automated transcription and translation tools, which the outlet itself admits “may contain errors,” yet uses to draw firm conclusions about Hasina’s intentions. Statements from Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy are reframed as direct incitements to chaos rather than ironic commentary or political predictions. For instance, Joy’s warning that boycotting the Awami League could lead to “more bloodshed” or state failure is portrayed as a threat rather than an analysis of instability risks.
Gazi questions Netra’s neutrality, pointing out its failure to report on systemic persecution of Awami League supporters since August 2024, including indiscriminate arrests, bail denials, and human rights abuses. She concludes that responsible journalism in polarised, violent contexts should examine power structures, current holders of authority, and who bears the costs of unrest—instead of rushing to blame individuals’ words without full evidence.
The piece warns that when the media prioritises narrative convenience over balanced context, it risks perpetuating cycles of retribution and undermining prospects for a stable democratic transition in Bangladesh.
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