Nahidul Islam: Same old stories again as 12 candidates, including minister-state minister and cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, have been chastised for violating the code of conduct of the election. The Election Commission (EC) has asked them to respond to their grievances by December 1 (Friday). According to media reports, all of them have violated the campaign code of conduct. But has anyone said that the media is breaching the code of conduct, or has the Election Commission known it?_x000D_ _x000D_ There is a clear message, The Code of Conduct of Elections states that no registered political party or its nominated candidate or independent candidate or any other person on their behalf should start any kind of election campaign before three weeks of the day are fixed for polling._x000D_ _x000D_ However, the media in Bangladesh is promoting and publishing the statements of different candidates in the name of 'exclusive stories'. Statements clearly focus on elections. Some media are also publishing special reports on particular candidates, which are also part of the election campaign._x000D_ _x000D_ Channel 24 and Dainik Samakal are too far ahead in the campaign for special candidates. The managing director of Ha-Meem Group, Azad Khan, owns the two media houses on their radar. Azad has become an independent candidate in Faridpur-3 (Sadar). The media is regularly broadcasting 'propaganda' as news about him. Which is also a violation of the code of conduct of the Election Commission. There are others, too. In addition, Gazi TV and the news portal Sarabangla.net of Awami League's nominated candidate Golam Dastgir Gazi in Narayanganj-1 are in the second position in publishing such 'campaign' news._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Apart from these televisions, Jamuna TV, Dainik Jugantar, Independent TV, Mahona TV, Bijay TV, and Amar Sangbad are trying to broadcast regular opportunities to their owners by publishing promotional news._x000D_ _x000D_ Also, all the other TV-newspapers are running 'campaign' news on candidates' speeches in an attempt to publish exclusive news. This kind of news has come to our attention in the daily Kalelkanth of Bashundhara Group. There, they are directly promoting the electoral promise of the candidate for Bagerhat-4. Similarly, the newspaper also published the statement of a candidate of Mymensingh-10._x000D_ _x000D_ It is an interesting fact that the regional mass media (mainly portals) used to be more interested in promoting and publishing such news. But this time around, along with the regional newspapers, the national media is also breaking the code of conduct and publishing 'propaganda' news, and the election commission is either blind to it or real blind, as the Election Commission pretends not to see it.