British High Commissioner pays courtesy call on Information Minister

United Kingdom High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cook has paid a courtesy call on Information and Broadcasting Minister Andalib Rahman at the ministry on Monday. State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury was present at this time.

British High Commissioner Sarah Cook congratulated Information Minister Andalib Rahman on assuming the responsibility during the meeting on Monday (October 5).

The Information Minister said the government is determined to ensure the freedom of the media. He said the government is not making any attempt to control the media and the government does not have any such desire either.

The Information Minister said along with ensuring the freedom of expression of the journalists the matter of protecting the people from false information is also extremely important. He emphasized on taking effective measures against the publicity of defamatory and misleading information on various social media including the media.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury said along with ensuring the freedom of the media the matter of protecting the rights of the people also needs to be considered equally. He also informed that the government is holding regular exchanges of views with the concerned stakeholders on this matter. He said the government has taken various initiatives to ensure the financial security of the journalists. However the media owners will also have to play a responsible role in this case.

British High Commissioner Sarah Cook emphasized on maintaining the ethical standards of journalism along with ensuring the freedom of expression. She highlighted the importance of fact-checking in combating false information and misinformation. She also mentioned that there is scope for cooperation between the Office of Communications of the United Kingdom and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of Bangladesh in this case.

During the meeting discussion was also held on various matters of mutual interest including combating various challenges of social media, ensuring the accuracy of information and practicing responsible media.