
1. Ways to start organizing activities across the country
Any professional organization or journalistic organization in Bangladesh has to take registration mainly from ‘Directorate of Cooperatives’ or ‘Directorate of Joint Capital Companies and Firms (RJSC)’ to operate across the country. The process is as follows:
Creation of the organization: First a draft constitution should be prepared in which it will be mentioned that the organization will conduct its activities throughout Bangladesh.
Registration: To operate from anywhere in the country you need to register as a trade union or under the Societies Act (1860). Getting registered as a trade union under the Ministry of Labor makes it easy to get legal legitimacy to operate across Bangladesh.
Branch Committees: Branch Offices or Committees may be constituted at each district or divisional level subject to the permission of the District Commissioner (DC) or local administration to work across the country.
2. Types of national level journalistic organizations
There are two types of structure in the journalist organization in Bangladesh:
Journalists’ Unions: eg—Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ). It is the apex body of journalists across the country. Journalists at the district level are usually members of local press clubs as well as various journalists’ unions belonging to the central federation.
Press Club: Almost every district and upazila has a local press club. Most of these are registered locally. But the National Press Club (Dhaka) is the main centre. Local press clubs are generally active within the boundaries of their respective districts.
3. What you should do (as a journalist)
Since you are working as District Representative of News 24 TV Bangla from Netrakona, here is what you need to do:
Joining registered organizations: Joining recognized and nationally recognized journalist organizations or unions is more effective than creating new organizations. This will increase your professional acceptance.
Legal advice: If you want to start a new organization that will work across the country, take the advice of a lawyer and apply for registration under the Societies Act. In this, the goals and objectives of the organization will be mentioned as the welfare and information exchange of journalists all over the country.An important point:
As you are already an accomplished journalist and associated with various local social and professional activities,So consult with other local senior journalists before starting any new organization