Naem Nizam

Nizam was a political reporter in the 80s, and worked for some of the leading newspapers of the time. In the 1990s, he covered the Awami-League beat and became a part of the upper echelons of Dhaka’s political circles. Previously a student leader, Nizam’s brand within politics and Awami League in particular grew rapidly across his hometown and Dhaka.”[7]

Nizam was one of the founding reporters of ATN Bangla news. Nizam later served as the chief news editor of ATN Bangla.[8] He was the founding news reporter of ATN Bangla.[9]

Nizam was the managing director of STV-US, a Bengali language television channel based in New York City in 2006.[6]

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.[2]

On 6 July 2014, Nizam attended an iftar hosted by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for prominent newspaper editors and journalists.[10]

In March 2015, Nizam received threats from Safiur Rahman Farabi, an Islamic extremist. Farabi was arrested by 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.[11][12] On 16 February 2021, Farabi was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Avijit Roy murder case.[13][14]

Nizam was sued by Ashikur Rahman Miku, General Secretary of 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.[15] Nizam secured bail from the court after appearing before it.[16]

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.[17] On 23 August 2017, Nizam was appointment member of the Bangladesh Press Council.[18]

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.[19] In December 2017, he was sued by reserved Member of Parliament, Lutfunnesa following report on Bangladesh Pratidin on corruption by her and her husband. The Member of Parliament was criticized by Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists for filling the case.[20]

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 Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists.[20][21] He is a member of the National Narcotics Control Board.[22] On 22 October 2018, he along with 54 other editors issued a joint statement condemning Mainul Hosein for making offensive remarks against Masuda Bhatti, acting Editor of the Dainik Amader Notun Shomoy, on a live show on Ekattor TV.[23]

In March 2018, Nizam attended an event of Bangladesh Border Guard and Border Security Force near the Bangladesh-India border near Jessore which had been declared a crime free area.[24]

Nizam was given a "tax card" and honored by the National Board of Revenue on 5 November 2018 for being one of the highest tax payers in the journalist category.[25]

On 16 September 2019, Nizam was elected General Secretary of the Editors' Council while Mahfuz Anam was elected president.[26] In a statement of the Editors Council he condemned the usage of Digital Security Act to arrest journalists.[27] 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.[28] He is a member of Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh.[29]

In 2020, Nizam was awarded the Bashir Ahmed Award.[30] 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.[31]

Nizam was elected director of Sheikh Russel KC on 29 May 2021.[32] Naem Nizam became a director of East West Media Group in November 2021. There are multiple national dailies in both English and Bengali language that are a part of this media group, as well as two television channels and a radio station. Nizam is the Editor of the most popularly known and commercially successful daily newspaper under the media group, called Bangladesh Pratidin. The newspaper’s rapid commercial success and it’s propensity to attract the top politicians and writers to contribute to it is celebrated. Furthermore, the newspaper’s anniversaries are widely attended by the biggest political and business names in Dhaka, as well as celebrities across Dhallywood.[5] M. J. Akbar thanked Nizam in his book, Doolally Sahib and the Black Zamindar.[33] On 19 November 2021, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Television Reporters Unity of Bangladesh.[7]