State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said that the increasing trend of misinformation and fake news has become a grave concern day by day.

“We all have to work in a responsible way. If we all work together, we shall be able to fight the mounting trend of misinformation and fake news,” he said.

The Women Journalists Network Bangladesh (WJNB), in partnership with the High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh, organised the discussion on the “Importance of Digital Literacy to combat Hate Speech and Misinformation” under the project “Digital Literacy and Digital Safety”.

Describing misinformation and fake news as a “huge problem,” the State Minister shared his personal experiences on what he faced in his own constituency by his political opponents. 

The government is committed to ensure people’s right to know and respect freedom of speech, he added.  

Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls agreed that it is a globalised issue as it is everywhere and it has a gender dimension as well.

“The challenges exist in Canada as well.”

Jatiya Press Club President Farida Yasmin and former President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul also spoke at the discussion while Lead (Public Relations), Brac Golam Kibria presented the keynote paper.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul