Digital security act not to harass journalists: Inu
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu yesterday said the government is going to formulate the digital security act to ensure people's digital security, not to harass journalists.
"We're going to enact the digital security act to ensure the security of your digital information as well as the country's security. It's also meant for protecting country's democracy and society as well," he said.
The minister made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the annual conference of the district correspondents of United News of Bangladesh (UNB) at its Cosmos Centre conference room in the capital.
Urging journalists to take the proposed digital security law positively, he assured them that it will bring no harm to them as it is going to be passed for the protection of the country's people.
State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak made a presentation titled "Digital Bangladesh: A Story of Transformation" at the programme.
Chief Information Commissioner Dr Golam Rahman, former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, Chief News Editor of Bangladesh Television Dr Syeda Tasmina Ahmed, UNB Chairman Amanullah Khan, its Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan, Director Nahar Khan and Editor SAM Mahfuzur Rahman also spoke at the daylong conference.
About the media's role, Inu said it creates and guards the nation's conscience, and the main function of the media and journalists is to keep the process of honesty and equity active.
Stating that information is not a commodity at all, he said that is why one has the social responsibility in releasing information. "Due to your social responsibility, you shouldn't publish any information that provokes communal riot. Democracy doesn't allow incitement and creation of division among people in the name of criticism."
"You can criticise if the government and the administration make any mistake. At the same time, you should also highlight the government's successes, if there's any," the information minister told the journalists.
Terming the media a mirror of democracy, he urged the media people to work as vanguards of democracy. "If politicians make any mistake, the nation stumbles, but when media people make any error, the nation goes astray."
"If you can't be non-communal, you can't be a good journalist at all. If you become a non-communal person, you'll be a good human being," he said.
Referring to the attacks on Hindu community members in Rangpur and Brahmanbaria based on false information hurting religious sentiments on social media, Palak said the two incidents exposed how a society can badly be affected with false and fake information.
The state minister also focused on making stories on people's successes as a success story can motivate and influence thousands of youths.
Palak said they have a target to bring the country's citizens under the Internet coverage by 2021.
Prof Arefin Siddique said a journalist must be accountable to himself or herself first to make an objective report with fairness. "You can't influence your report with your belief, values, like or dislike as it's tantamount to deceiving the profession."
UNB Chairman Amanullah Khan said, "The spread of fake news has recently taken an acute turn. We must check it. We also must prevent rumour and propaganda."
UNB Editor-in-Chief and Chief Executive Enayetullah Khan briefly described the history of UNB which began its journey in 1988 as the first fully-computerised wire service in the private sector in South Asia.
Some 100 UNB journalists from across the country, including those who work in Dhaka, attended the conference.
Comments