A critical review of the opportunities and obstacles of online journalism in Bangladesh

Abstract

The establishment of online journalism in Bangladesh has transformed the country's media environment, opened doors for effective news dissemination, and presented new challenges. The paper analyses the growth, challenges, and future of digital journalism in Bangladesh, emphasizing its potential in democratizing information, the role of audience engagement, regulatory environment challenges, and ethical dilemmas. However, this broadening comes with its pressing challenges, including government censorship under laws like the Digital Security Act (DSA) for the proliferation of misinformation, economic vulnerability of digital platforms, and ethical compromises in reporting. Using a mixed-method approach combining content analysis, interviews with journalists and secondary data, the paper illustrates a transition of public discourse through online journalism in Bangladesh. These results underscore that while digital media provides a broader reach and faster reporting times, sustainability is a concern given the challenges of political pressure. It ends with recommendations related to policies, including legal measures to preserve press freedom, public media literacy programs to counteract fake news, and business innovation to guarantee online journalism’s sustainability in the future. In overcoming these challenges, Bangladesh can unlock the potential of digital media as a facilitator of democratic engagement and an enabler of informed citizenship.

Keywords

• Online journalism
• Bangladesh
• digital media
• press freedom
• misinformation
• media sustainability

How to cite

Md. Golam Kadir Mondol (2025). A critical review of the opportunities and obstacles of online journalism in Bangladesh. Sonargaon University Journal, 5(II), 43–54.

@article{mondol20254,
  title   = {A critical review of the opportunities and obstacles of online journalism in Bangladesh},
  author  = {Md. Golam Kadir Mondol},
  journal = {Sonargaon University Journal},
  volume  = {5},
  number  = {II},
  pages   = {43--54},
  year    = {2025},
  issn    = {2518-3125},
  url     = {https://su.edu.bd/journal/volume-5-issue-2/a-critical-review-of-the-opportunities-and-obstacles-of-online-journalism-in}
}