---

In an effort to tackle the growing concerns surrounding fake news in Bangladesh, the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, organized a dialogue titled "Confronting Misinformation in Bangladesh". The event was held at a hotel in Dhaka on February 25, 2023.

The dialogue is part of a series of sessions aimed at understanding how misinformation is produced and recirculated in Bangladesh. The attendees comprised of journalists, senior editors, professional fact-checkers, and social media influencers. Key speakers including Miraj Ahmed Chowdhury, Managing Director of Digital Right, Asif Bin Ali, a lecturer at the Media and Journalism Department at North South University, and Qadaruddin Shishir, Fact Checker Editor at AFP, and Ibrahim Mollick, Media Coordinator of the US Embassy at Dhaka shared their thoughts and insights, said a press release.

The speakers and the participants noted that misinformation is not only spread by individuals but also by the state, highlighting a structural problem and agendas in media houses. They also discussed the power of sources of misinformation, including syndicates and personal interests. The need for accurate and diverse information to reach everyone, especially minorities, was emphasized. The speakers agreed that preventing the spread of fake news and misinformation is crucial to ensuring trustworthy journalism and upholding democracy.

Miraj Ahmed Chowdhury highlighted the current state of information technology where news is not as thoroughly vetted as it used to be. He emphasized that social media algorithms often deliver information that aligns with an individual's ideology, which means that accurate and diverse information may not reach everyone. He also pointed out that misinformation is often spread for personal and business interests, which poses a significant risk to media outlets' credibility.

Asif Bin Ali talked about how misinformation was disseminated during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the need to prevent the spread of fake news and misinformation to ensure accurate and trustworthy journalism. He stated that journalism is a vital component of democracy, and if democracy were to falter, journalism would suffer the same fate. Qadaruddin Shishir shared his thoughts on how misinformation on religious matters put minorities in a vulnerable position. He stressed the importance of taking steps to stop the spread of fake news and suggested that if prominent individuals in the country, such as the Prime Minister, were to spread misinformation, the correct information should be published as well or the information should be avoided altogether.

After the roundtable discussion, participants took part in a survey and a focus group discussion to provide more in-depth information and their perspectives on fake news. The data collected during these dialogues will be used to enhance the capacity of journalists and encourage social media influencers in Bangladesh to effectively counter misinformation, particularly during election periods.

The discussion was moderated by Zillur Rahman, the Executive Director of CGS.

News Coiurtesy:

https://dailyasianage.com/news/302475/cgs-hosts-dialogue-on-confronting-misinformation-in-bangladesh