Misinformation remains biggest challenge for the media: Info minister

Misinformation is the biggest challenge facing journalism in the digital age, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said today (2 August), while New Age Editor Nurul Kabir argued that journalistic neutrality often works against the public interest.

They made the remarks at a seminar titled Politics, Power and the Interplay of Journalism: Theory, Reality and the Future, organised by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka to mark its 64th anniversary.

Speaking as chief guest, Swapan said the rise of digital media has significantly expanded the spread of misinformation, prompting the government to take several measures to combat it.

Calling journalism indispensable to any civilised society, he said many scholars have argued that people would choose "journalism without a state over a state without journalism."

Swapan said Bangladesh's history shows that journalism has often reflected competing political positions. "During the Liberation War, there were journalists both for and against the war. During the July movement, some media also worked to keep the government in power. We still recognise them as journalists," he said.

He added that if the events of 5 August had unfolded differently, entirely different narratives – such as the country being "saved from anarchy" or the "spirit of independence protected" – could have emerged, noting that Bangladesh has no shortage of intellectuals, editors and journalists capable of constructing such narratives.

He urged journalists to continually question how objectivity can be ensured and truth established.

Delivering the keynote, Nurul Kabir rejected the idea of value-neutral journalism, arguing that in a society marked by inequality, remaining "neutral" often means allowing injustice to persist.

He said journalism should not stop at presenting facts but also explain them from the perspective of public interest, identifying who exercises power and who bears its consequences. 

He urged young journalists to practise what he called "engaged journalism" rather than "journalism of detachment".

Kabir also criticised laws requiring newspaper publishers to pledge not to act against government interests, calling them obstacles to press freedom. Addressing the minister, he urged the government to repeal such "draconian laws".

The seminar was moderated by Professor Robayet Ferdous. Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam Khan and Acting Dean Kazi Mahbubur Rahman also attended.