Capturing the fourth estate: A case study of Bangladesh news media

The research examines journalists’ perception of media capture and its impact on journalism practice and media production. Based on 25 interviews, the study identifies three types of media capture operating across the Bangladesh news media ecosystem: government, ownership and social media. The findings show that government control, exercised through stringent law, has fostered a climate of undisclosed media censorship, leading to the country being labeled an “authoritarian state.” At the same time, ownership models have led to the establishment of biased and partisan media outlets. Moreover, increasing reliance on social media and algorithms exacerbated the capture of the fourth estate. The findings reflect that these forms of capture shape journalistic behavior, prompting journalists to self-censor and avoid producing investigative or critical reporting. Situated within a non-Western media context, this study extends media capture theory by demonstrating how structural forces intersect with the politicization of journalists, producing embedded forms of cognitive capture within hybrid media systems.