Govt has no intention of controlling media: Info Minister

The government has no intention of controlling the media and is committed to protecting press freedom and freedom of expression, Information and Broadcasting Minister Andaleeve Rahman said Wednesday (September 16).

He made the remarks during a meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the Secretariat.

State Minister Yasser Khan Choudhury also attended the meeting.

The discussions covered press freedom, freedom of expression, misinformation and disinformation, the proposed Cyber Security (Amendment) Act, and Bangladesh-US relations.

The minister said the government was working to maintain an environment for independent journalism while taking necessary steps to address defamatory content, misinformation and disinformation on social media and other platforms.

He cited the broadcasting of opposition-party news on Bangladesh Television as an example of what he described as a change in the country’s political culture.

On the proposed cyber law, the minister said the government was taking measures in good faith and with responsibility without compromising media freedom or freedom of expression.

He said the government was also mindful of the country’s experience over the past 17 years and wanted to avoid a recurrence of previous problems.

In the meeting, the US ambassador stressed the importance of consulting stakeholders in efforts to counter misinformation and disinformation.

Staete Minister Yasser Khan Choudhury said ordinary citizens were often the biggest victims of false information and called for measures to make social media safer, including greater use of artificial intelligence to address emerging challenges.

Christensen also said Bangladesh-US relations were growing stronger and expanding into areas including trade and business. He highlighted continued US economic assistance for Rohingya refugees, including support for preventing infectious diseases in the health sector.