20 May 2024, Dhaka

A day-long training workshop on 'Training of Facilitators to Fight Against Misinformation’ was held today, 20 May 2024, in Dhaka. The aim was to provide further sustenance to the stakeholders to strengthen mechanisms for countering misinformation. The training was organized by Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), with the support of The Asia Foundation.

A total of 24 representatives of Public and Private Universities, NIMC, PIB, and national news media attended the Training as participants, along with Resource Persons. Mr. Md. Mojibur Rahman, Additional Secretary (Development), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, was the Chief Guest at the closing session of the training. The special guests were Mr. Zafar Wazed, Director General of Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB); Mr. Sufi Zakir Hossain, Director General (Acting) of National Institute of Mass Communication, Dhaka; and Mr. Asinur Reza, Program Coordinator of — the South Asia Governance Program at The Asia Foundation.

At the beginning of the program, Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer, BNNRC & Executive Coordinator, Bangladesh Initiative for Unified Voices on Global Digital Compact and UN Summit of the Future 2024, welcomed the participants and discussed the objectives and goals of the training with the explanation of UN Information Integrity on Digital Platforms.     

Then, the Training Facilitator, Mr. Minhaz Uddin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Jagannath University, Dhaka, presented the contexts of misinformation, disinformation, and misinformation. The distinguished Participants held a Panel discussion on fighting misinformation and fake News.

In the bright and digital world, thousands of things with misleading information are published every day, and millions of people see and hear that. From here, people and the state are in danger through misinformation and manipulated content. The speakers believe that mass media can play an essential role in preventing misinformation.

The speakers emphasise the need to include misinformation in the primary and secondary school education curriculum. They think that the media can play an important role in these matters.

Ajker Patrika’s Editor, Prof Dr. Golam Rahman; Prothom Alo’s Joint Editor, Mr. Sohrab Hassan; Dhaka University’s Mass Communication & Journalism Department Chairman, Prof Dr Abul Mansur Ahmed; Dhaka University’s Mass Communication & Journalism Department Prof Dr S M Shameem Reza, Amader Shomoy and The Business Post Executive Editor, Mr. Mainul Alam, Bangla Vision TV Senior News Editor Abu Rushd Md Ruhul Amin were discussed in the workshop.

Dr. Abul Mansur Ahmed, Professor and chairman of Dhaka University's Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, said, "We have not been able to create responsible readers or users of various news media."

Prothom Alo Joint Editor Mr. Sohrab Hasan said, "The publication and dissemination of news without long-term monitoring can create chaos.

Mr. Zafar Wazed, Director General of the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB), mentioned that the exact words are not reflected in the words of those who gave an example of damage caused by misinformation.

Director General (Acting) of the National Media Institute, Mr. Sufi Zakir Hossain, expressed hope that the joint efforts of the people and the government can effectively disseminate correct information to prevent misinformation.

The chief guest, Additional Secretary (Development) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Md. Mojibur Rahman, said that almost everyone has a smartphone. People can easily communicate with the rest of the world, from big cities to isolated villages. Everyone is instantly informed of what is happening worldwide through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media. Social media now creates mistakes and confusion. According to the Cyber and Special Crimes Division of the Intelligence Service, those who want to undermine the country primarily commit crimes like spreading misinformation. The government is working on this, but a concerted effort is needed to do more of this.

Dhaka University's Department of Mass Communication and Journalism Professor Dr. S.M. Shameem Reza said, “When someone wants to spread misinformation in a concerted manner, it becomes difficult to stop it. Rumors are sometimes created due to the state's inefficiency. If the person in charge can provide the right information at the right time, it can be reduced to a great extent.”

The workshop was also attended by teachers of mass communication and journalism departments of different universities, journalists of various media, and others.

Later, the training was concluded with an open question-and-answer session and closing remarks.

It is hoped that after the Training is completed, the trained participants will be linked with the media house as professionals and will counter fake news through their writing. PIB, NIMC, and universities will play vital roles in working with student journalists to build their capacity for countering misinformation.

BNNRC is a media development organization established in 2000 and registered with the Bureau of NGO Affairs under the Office of the Honorable Prime Minister of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It is a unique consultative United Nations Economic and Social Council organization. It is the winner of the World Summit on Information Society United Nations Award 2016 and the champion of 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023 for its contribution to building the information society.