BanglaFact has published 1,172 fact-checks, state minister tells parliament

BanglaFact, the fact-checking unit of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB), has so far published 1,172 fact-checks, analyses, investigative reports and videos or reels to counter fake news, rumours and misleading information spreading on social media and online portals. Of those, 552 were published after the current government took office.

State Minister Yeaser Khan Chowdhury gave the information in parliament on Thursday (12 November), answering a starred question from Sirajganj-4 opposition (Jamaat-e-Islami) MP Md Rafiqul Islam Khan, on behalf of Information and Broadcasting Minister Andalib Rahman.

The state minister said the Department of Information and the PIB, both under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, are running various activities to counter fake news, rumours and misleading information. BanglaFact's website publishes fact-checks, media analysis and digital literacy content.

He said BanglaFact has identified 137 fake accounts, pages and groups on Facebook operated using Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's photo and name.

It has also identified 19 websites that imitate newspapers and television channels to spread propaganda and disinformation. More than 800 Facebook accounts and more than 100 X accounts that spread misleading and false information have also been identified.

The state minister said BanglaFact currently verifies an average of three to five claims a day and publishes reports, reels and videos. A 'Fact-check Manual' will be published soon for the convenience of media workers.

He also said that since the current government took office, the PIB's training department has trained a total of 1,691 people through 44 three-day training programmes. Each programme included sessions on multimedia journalism, artificial intelligence (AI) and fact-checking. Training is also being given on countering rumours, identifying hate propaganda, fact-checking and the use of AI in journalism. Such training for journalists will gradually be organised in every district of the country.

The state minister said that since 8 April, every morning — including Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays — misleading and harmful rumour-related news published in the print and online editions of daily newspapers, electronic media and social media has been scrutinised. A committee formed by the Department of Information prepares formatted reports and sends them to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for this purpose.

He said the ministry is requesting the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to take legal action against the Facebook IDs concerned that spread misleading information, rumours, provocative statements, photocards, audio-video material and distorted information.

On implementing the 9th Newspaper Wage Board award, the state minister said it was published as a gazette on 12 September 2019. It could not be implemented because of differences between journalists and newspaper owners over income tax payment and several ongoing cases. After the gazette was published, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and a few institutions did implement the award.