BNP Govt’s blunders turn media yawn into major interest Released by: Dr. Richard L. Benkin Web Site: http://www.weeklyblitz.net Media in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere really had little interest in what was happening i Keywords: Bangladesh Update Date: 10/26/2006 1:01:25 PM Hits: 164 Descrption:  When Weekly Blitz editor and publisher Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury was arrested in 2003, my fight to free him and gain attention for his plight began as a one-man effort and often was a lonely one. Media in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere really had little interest in what was happening in the world’s seventh largest country. (Very few even knew that Bangladesh held that position, or that it is the world’s third largest Muslim-majority country; a fewer people seemed to care). I was grateful for coverage on any blog, any online magazine, any small newspaper (which usually ran no more than one piece on the story). After Shoaib’s release from prison, when I tried to interest US media in pieces that reflected positive developments in Bangladesh, I ran into a very similar reaction. This month of October alone, however, has seen major coverage of human rights violations by the government of Bangladesh, particularly against Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. The Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, and New York Sun all have devoted space and resources to covering and reporting government persecution of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. In the coming weeks, more US media are planning to cover the case, which is also beginning to see coverage in Europe and elsewhere as well. For more detail,please log on to our internet edition.