Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md. Mahfuj Alam has said the media must take a firm stance against rumors and misinformation to restore public trust.
“People’s distrust of the media must be removed,” he said while addressing a training workshop titled ‘Prevention of Media Misinformation and Presentation of Objective News’, at the Bangladesh Press Council on Monday.
Mahfuj Alam said the spread of rumors and misinformation has become widespread, particularly during the 15-year tenure of the previous government. Referring to recent earthquake-related reports, he criticised certain media outlets for “spreading panic instead of raising public awareness,” calling the practice “regrettable.”
He warned that when people lose confidence in the media, anyone can mislead the public and create chaos.
He also urged the media to play a responsible role during the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Regarding Bangladesh Press Council, the adviser mentioned that it is a quasi-judicial institution that had been made ineffective by the previous government.
The current interim government, he said, has taken steps to revitalize it.
He encouraged journalists to use the Press Council as a platform to claim their rights and called on the institution to play a stronger role within the existing legal framework.
Mahbuba Farzana, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, spoke as the special guest at the workshop, which was chaired by Justice AKM Abdul Hakim, Chairman of the Bangladesh Press Council.
Shamsul Hug Zahid, Editor of The Financial Express, and Abu Saleh Akon, President of Dhaka Reporters Unity, also addressed the participants.
A total of 50 journalists took part in the training workshop, and certificates were distributed among them.
