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Naem Nizam (born 5 November 1965) is a Bangladeshi journalist, writer, columnist, and editor of daily Bangladesh Pratidin. Nizam is also the director of East West Media Group, the largest media conglomerate in Bangladesh. He is former CEO of News24 and Radio Capital. He is the former managing director of STV-US.

Nizam philanthropic endeavors have led to the establishment of Heshakal Bazar Naem Nizam Degree College in his hometown of Comilla, Bangladesh. He is the vice president of Sheikh Russell KC, a professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League. He is a member of Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh.

Nizam's career has spanned many decades where he has been involved with starting up multiple national media organizations in Bangladesh, including ATN Bangla, Bangladesh Pratidin, News24, T-Sports, the Daily Sun, and STV US."

Early life

Nizam was born on 11 November 1965 in Nangalkot Upazila, Comilla District, East Pakistan, Pakistan.

Career

Nizam started his career in the late 1980s as a political correspondent and worked at national newspapers Ajker Kagoj and Bhorer Kagoj.

ATN bangla

Nizam was founding news editor of ATN Bangla. ATN Bangla began broadcasting Bengali-language news programming on 16 August 2001. It later began airing English-language news programming on 1 October 2002. Nizam served as the chief news editor of ATN Bangla.

STV

Nizam was the managing director of STV-US, a Bengali language television channel based in New York City in 2006.

News 24

Nizam served as first CEO of News24, a 24 hour news channel, and is currently director of its parent company, East West Media Group. In November 2013, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission granted East West Media Group a broadcasting license to operate News24. It received its frequency allocation in January 2015. The channel began test broadcasts on 25 March 2016.

Bangladesh Pratidin

Nizam is a member of the Editors' Council a grouping of the newspaper editors of Bangladesh. In that capacity he along with other editors including that of Prothom Alo signed a statement demanding the release of Mahmudur Rahman, protesting the raid on newspaper Daily Inqilab and the arrest and harassment of journalists across the Bangladesh. They also criticized the new broadcast policy saying it would harm the freedom of the media.

Nizam was sued by Ashikur Rahman Miku, general secretary of the Bangladesh Volleyball Federation following the publication of a critical report about him 18 May 2012. On 3 June 2012, Miku filed a defamation case against him. On 15 September 2015, Senior Judicial Magistrate Md Zakaria of a Narail court issued an arrest warrant against him. Nizam secured bail from the court after appearing before it.

On 6 July 2014, Nizam attended an iftar hosted by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for prominent newspaper editors and journalists.

In March 2015, Nizam received threats from Safiur Rahman Farabi, an Islamic extremist. Farabi was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion and charged under Information and Communication Technology Act. On 11 April 2019, Farabi was acquitted by Judge Ash Sams Joglul Hossai of the Cyber Tribunal Court. On 16 February 2021, Farabi was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Avijit Roy murder case.

On 5 October 2017, Nizam was summoned a local Dhaka Court by Metropolitan Magistrate Debabrata Biswas following a case filed by Dhaka Lawyers Association President Saidur Rahman Manik. The case alleged a joke about lawyers in an editorial by Member of Parliament Golam Mawla Rony defamed lawyers. In December 2017, he was sued by reserved Member of Parliament, Lutfunnesa following a report on Bangladesh Pratidin on corruption by her and her husband. The member of parliament was criticized by the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and the Dhaka Union of Journalists for filling the case.

On 16 August 2017, a legal notice was served against Nizam by the organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Awami Olama League, Maulana Abdul Jalil, for publishing a column by Taslima Nasreen. On 23 August 2017, Nizam was appointment member of the Bangladesh Press Council.

An arrest warrant was issued against Nizam in January 2018, following a defamation case filed by Awami League politician and State Minister of Primary and Mass Education, Motahar Hossain. He had filed the defamation case following a report on his corruption published on Bangladesh Pratidin on 9 April 2014. The issue of an arrest warrant was condemned by the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and the Dhaka Union of Journalists. He condemned the passage of the Digital Security Act, 2018.

On 16 September 2019, Nizam was elected general secretary of the Editors' Council while Mahfuz Anam was elected president. In a statement of the Editors Council he condemned the usage of Digital Security Act to arrest journalists. In August 2020, a statement issued by the council and signed by Nizam condemned the absence of national newspapers from the "government list of online news portals". The statement said it was unreasonable to require special permission or separate licenses for online versions of national newspapers.

In 2020, Nizam was awarded the Bashir Ahmed Award. In June, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit investigated his accounts and that of his colleague in Bangladesh Pratidin, Peer Habibur Rahman. He called on the Ministry of Finance to reduce the import duty on newsprint in a virtual meeting with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in April 2021.

Nizam was elected director of Sheikh Russel KC, sponsored by Bashundhara Group, on 29 May 2021.

Bibliography

• TV News (2011) - A guide book on TV journalism and Technical aspects of broadcast journalism based on his experiences.
• BDR Bidroho (2011)
• Ghure Beraye deshe deshe (2015)
• Electronics and Print Journalism (2015)
• Jyotishi Ballen kkhomota Gele Mantri Jele (2015)
• Vromoner Koto Kahini (2016)
• 'Print Journalism (2016)
• Chander Aloye Mritu Dekha (2016)
• Nirbachito Colum (2017)
• Gano Adalat (2017)- about the Gono Adalat.
• Amar Kichhu Katha (2017)
• Rong Mahal (2018)
• General Moeen ke bidai diyese Pranab (2018)

Personal life

Nizam is married to journalist Farida Yasmin since 1990 and has two children. Farida Yasmin was a member of the 12th Bangladeshi Parliament. She is the current two-term president of the National Press Club of Bangladesh. Previously, she was elected the first female general secretary and first female president of the National Press Club of Bangladesh.

References

1. "Journalist Farida Yasmin's father passes away". The Daily Sun. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
2. ^ "Newspaper editors say broadcast policy will curb media freedom". bdnews24.com. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
3. ^ "Naem Nizam is no longer CEO of News 24, Radio Capital". bdnews24.com. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
4. ^ "Nayeem Nizam Speaks to VOA About TV Channel STV–US". VOA (in Bengali). 25 April 2006. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
5. "Standards to be set for talk shows". The Daily Star. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
6. "ISA arrests: Deported Bangladeshi being investigated in hometown for terror links, says Bengali newspaper". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
7. "Noab elects AK Azad new president". The Daily Star. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
8. "Naem Nizam receives Lifetime Achievement Award". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
9. ^ "Profile - Naem Nizam". www.tritiyomatra.com. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
10. "ATN Bangla celebrates 21st anniv". Daily Sun. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
11. ২১ বছরে এটিএন বাংলা. Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). 15 July 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
12. "About Us – ATN Bangla". www.atnbangla.tv. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
13. এটিএন বাংলার ১৯ বছরে পদার্পণ. Jago News 24 (in Bengali). 15 July 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
14. "Director -Naem Nizam". Institute of Law, Conflict and Development Studies. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
15. ^ "Books". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
16. Ahmed, Moshtak (26 November 2013). শেষ সময়ে ১৩ টিভি, ১৪ রেডিওর লাইসেন্স. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
17. তরঙ্গ বরাদ্দ ও নিরাপত্তা ছাড় পেল ১০ নতুন বেসরকারি টিভি চ্যানেল. Priyo (in Bengali). 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
18. \'নিউজ ২৪\'-এর পরীক্ষামূলক সম্প্রচার শুরু. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). 25 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
19. "Arrest warrant out for Bangladesh Pratidin editor, former publisher over 'libel'". bdnews24.com. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
20. "Naem Nizam gets bail". themorningbellbd.com. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
21. "Khaleda takes Iftar with editors, media heads". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
22. "Farabi acquitted in ICT case". The Independent. Dhaka. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
23. "Avijit murder accused Farabi acquitted in ICT case". The Daily Star. 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
24. "Bangladesh anti-terrorism tribunal sentences 5 to death for killing blogger Avijit Roy". The Hindu. PTI. 2021-02-16. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
25. ^ "Court summons Bangladesh Partidin Editor Naem Nizam over ex-MP Rony's column". bdnews24.com. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
26. ^ "Filing of case against Naem Nizam condemned". The New Nation. 21 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
27. "Legal notice served for publishing Taslima's column". jagonews24.com. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
28. "Justice Mamtaj Uddin reappointed Press Council chairman". New Age. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
29. "Arrest warrant for Naem Nizam protested". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
30. "Editors' Council concerned over Digital Security Act". daily-sun. September 2018. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
31. "Mahfuz Anam, Naem Nizam new president, secy of Shampadak Parishad". The Daily Star. 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
32. "Sampadak Parishad condemns arrest of journalists under Digital Security Act". The Daily Star. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
33. ^ "Online News Portals: Exclusion of leading dailies from list surprising". The Daily Star. 2020-08-25. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
34. "Bashir Ahmed remembered". New Age. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
35. "Bangladesh agency opens probe into bank accounts of Naem Nizam, Peer Habibur Rahman". Bangladesh agency opens probe into bank accounts of Naem Nizam, Peer Habibur Rahman. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
36. "Editors meet finance minister, call to withdraw import duty on newsprint". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
37. Rahman, Anisur (2024-08-17). "BPL in limbo as Sk Jamal, Sk Russel set to miss out". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
38. "Bashundhara MD Sayem Sobhan Anvir becomes first director of the 30-member board of Sk Russel". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
39. ^ "Three new books by Naem Nizam". The Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
40. ^ মেলায় নঈম নিজামের দুই বই. Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). Retrieved 1 June 2018.
41. সাপ্তাহিক, অন্যধারার কাগজ (January 2018). নারী সাংবাদিকতায় অন্যন্য অবদান (in Bengali). Dhaka. p. 21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
42. "Farida Yasmin vows to champion rights of journos, women". Daily Sun. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
43. "National Press Club gets Farida Yasmin as first female general secretary; Shafiqur elected president". bdnews24.com. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-30.

• Living people
• Bangladeshi journalists
• People from Nangalkot Upazila
• Bangladeshi newspaper editors
• 1965 births
• Tejgaon College alumni
• University of Dhaka alumni