Govt to promote media literacy to combat disinformation: Zahed

Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Zahed Ur Rahman has said the government will work to raise media literacy and public awareness to combat misinformation and disinformation.

He urged universities to introduce media and information literacy (MIL) programmes and called on young people to help their elderly family members identify false and misleading information on social media.

He made the remarks at a national seminar marking Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week 2026 at East West University (EWU) in Dhaka on Thursday.

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Zahed, who also oversees policy and strategy and serves as adviser to the ministries of information and broadcasting and cultural affairs, said media literacy was essential as people of all ages, including educated and retired individuals, increasingly relied on social media for news without verifying the credibility of sources.

“Prevention is the best option. We have to learn how to identify and assess the authenticity and correctness of information before accepting or sharing it,” he said.

Zahed said the government was interested in developing a legal framework to combat disinformation, although such initiatives would require careful consideration.

Praising EWU for its initiatives to promote media and information literacy, Zahed urged other universities to follow suit.

Dr Susan Vize, head of office and UNESCO representative to Bangladesh, said media and information literacy helped young people question information, think critically and make informed choices, particularly during elections.

“By embedding these skills in education and creating more opportunities for discussion and debate, we can support informed participation in democratic life,” she said.

She stressed the importance of integrating media and information literacy into education to help young people navigate the information environment responsibly.

Professor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin, chairperson of EWU's Board of Trustees and founder vice-chancellor, chaired the programme. Professor Dr Mohammad Ashik Mosaddik, acting vice-chancellor of EWU, and Andrés del Castillo Sánchez, chief technical adviser of the UN Electoral Support Project–BALLOT at UNDP Bangladesh, also attended as special guests.

Professor Dr Dilara Begum, chairperson of EWU's Department of Information Studies and president of the Media and Information Literacy Network Bangladesh (MILNetBD), delivered the keynote address, while Dr Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq, professor of the Department of Information Science and Library Management at the University of Dhaka, served as discussant.

The keynote presented findings from a youth media and information literacy assessment involving 1,605 respondents from all eight divisions. Conducted between June and October 2026, the study found that 82.2% of respondents had received no MIL-related training, while 52.3% relied on social media as their main source of election-related information. Some 62.2% said they had encountered false or misleading information during elections. The average MIL index score was 68.49 out of 100, classified as intermediate under the study's framework.