Chargé d’ affaires of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bangladesh Sonja Kuip emphasized on building an information just society through proper information flow.
She also stressed on this in a roundtable titled ‘Social and Digital Media Menace in Bangladesh: Steps to Overcome’ organized jointly by South Asia Centre for Media in Development (SACMID) and the Department of Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) at United International University (UIU) on Monday (1 April).
Professor Dr. Md. Abul Kashem Mia, Vice Chancellor of UIU, who chaired the program; highlighted on limiting negative human behavior through social and digital media and harness it. Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Shafiul Islam, Head, MSJ, UIU moderated the programme along with Dr. Mario Hirstein, Assistant Professor, MSJ, UIU and Sayed Kamrul Islam,Deputy Director, SACMID.
Distinguished guests from various sectors, including academia, media, and government, participated in the event, shedding light on the multifaceted challenges posed by the proliferation of false information in the digital age.
The discussion delved into issues such as freedom of speech, the spread of rumors, and the role of legislation such as the Cyber Security Act in addressing these challenges.
Namia Akhter, Senior Policy Adviser at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Nazar-E-Zilani, Member, Board of Trustee, SACMID addressed the program as Special Guest.
Abu Sadat Md. Mostansir Billah, Director, Public Relations, UIU, Rafiquzzaman, journalist trainer and media educator, Jilhaj Uddin Nipun, Journalist trainer at Press Institute Bangladesh, Program Director at TUS, a NGO; Shuvashish Das, Fact Check expert , Mufti Safikul Alam Mahmudi, Imam at UIU, a few journalists, youth leaders and other esteemed discussants shared their perspectives in the program.
The roundtable served as a platform for engaging dialogue and collaborative efforts aimed at developing strategies to combat misinformation and disinformation, safeguarding the integrity of information in Bangladesh's digital landscape.
