Journalists must act with ethical responsibility: Information Minister

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Bangladesh National Party (BJP) Chairman Barrister Andalib Rahman Partha has said that people cannot be made good through regulations. However, regulations can be used to bring lawbreakers under the law. He said journalists must perform their duties from a place of ethical responsibility, ensuring that no one's life, career or dignity is unnecessarily harmed.

The minister made these remarks as chief guest at an exchange of views with journalists at the Vhola Press Club hall room on Thursday, September 3.

The Information Minister said the media is one of the pillars of democracy, and the power of journalists' pens is immense. He urged journalists to be cautious so that no one's reputation is damaged by news based on half-truths, limited knowledge or incomplete information, while also ensuring that no one is unduly praised. As a pillar of democracy, the responsibility of journalists has now increased, he added.

On cyberbullying and rumours, Andalib Rahman Partha said people now tend to verify even true news to check if it is fake. He said politicians must also increase tolerance on social media. With smartphones in everyone's hands, the kind of language and words being used in the name of democracy and freedom of speech has been evident over the last two to three years.

He said the situation they are in cannot merely be called a bad one; rather, it is a real and completely different scenario. People's mentality has also changed, and everyone must adapt to this changed reality.

Addressing journalists, the Information Minister said, "You will criticise us, highlight where the government's work is not being done properly. You will also inform us whether the allocations and development work given by the government in Bhola are being implemented properly. Publish news about us to help us so that we can work properly. News should not be created from a place of personal likes and dislikes. Everyone must work together."

Referring to drugs as the biggest problem in Bhola, Andalib Rahman Partha said it is alarming how the youth and social environment are being damaged by drugs. He said the administration could be assisted through community policing in every union. Social surveillance must be increased on how drugs are entering Bhola and who is involved.

He also mentioned forming committees comprising respected members of society to eliminate drugs. The Information Minister also highlighted various government initiatives for the overall development of Bhola during the exchange.

The meeting was chaired by Vhola Press Club President Advocate Nazrul Haque and conducted by General Secretary Nasir Uddin Litun. Deputy Commissioner Dr Shamim Rahman, Police Superintendent Md Shahidullah Kawser, and senior journalists of Bhola M Abu Taher and Shawkat Hossain also spoke.