Govt Moves to Form Legal Panel Against Misleading Photocards

The government is set to take a firm stance against publishers of sensationalized photocards with misleading headlines online. As part of this move, an initiative has been taken to form a legal panel to combat misinformation and disinformation, said the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman.

According to him, misinformation and disinformation will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Whether from individuals or institutions, the government will not accept the dissemination of false or misleading information. He added that a formal announcement regarding the legal panel will be made soon.

Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman made these remarks on 28 April, Tuesday, during a monthly briefing at the Secretariat, in response to the misrepresentation of his statements in media photocards.

He said that at a recent briefing, he had presented specific statistics regarding the progress of a canal excavation program. He stated that the number of canals under the program is 1,260, the achieved excavation length is 61 kilometers, and the progress rate stands at 44.55 percent. However, a national daily presented the information in such a way in its photocard as if he had claimed that half of the country’s canals had already been excavated.

He noted that such presentation has been identified as disinformation by fact-checkers. He also remarked that there is a significant difference between the spread of incorrect information by individuals and by institutions.

The information adviser further said that another distorted photocard circulated his statement claiming that fuel and electricity prices had been increased for public welfare—something he never said. As a result, many people sought clarification from him.

Regarding the issue of misinformation in photocards, he stated that disinformation-based photocards should not be considered acceptable in the media and indicated that the government would take a strong position on the matter.

Addressing journalists, he said journalism should remain true to its principles. There is ample scope for criticism of the government, and he welcomes rational and constructive criticism, which is essential to ensuring accountability.

Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman added that the notion that the government fears the media and the public is not negative; rather, it is a positive characteristic of a democratic government. In his words, authoritarian governments are feared by the media, whereas democratic governments remain cautious due to their accountability to the people and the media.

DBTech/SH/EK/OR