Govt has no intention to control media: Info Minister

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Andaleeve Rahman said that the government is not trying to control the media and the government has no such intention.

He said this when British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke paid him a courtesy call on the Secretariat on Monday.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury was present at the time. During the meeting, British High Commissioner Sarah Cook congratulated Information Minister Andaleeve Rahman on assuming the responsibility. The Information Minister said that the government is determined to ensure media freedom. The government is not trying to control the media and the government has no such intention.

He said, “In addition to ensuring freedom of expression of journalists, it is also very important to protect the public from wrong information and misinformation.”

Hence, he stressed the need to take effective measures against the dissemination of defamatory and misleading information on various social media platforms including the mainstream media.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury said, “While ensuring media freedom, it is also necessary to take into account the protection of people's rights.”

He said that the government is regularly exchanging views with relevant stakeholders in this regard.

The State Minister said, “The government has taken various initiatives to ensure the financial security of journalists. However, media owners also have to play a responsible role in this regard.”

British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke emphasized the importance of maintaining ethical standards of journalism in addition to ensuring freedom of expression.

She highlighted the importance of fact-checking to combat misinformation and disinformation. She also mentioned that there is an opportunity for cooperation between the UK's Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of Bangladesh in this regard.

During the meeting, various issues of mutual interest including addressing various challenges of social media, ensuring accuracy of information, and practicing responsible media were also discussed.