Prothom Alo ranks highest in retracting news due to publishing fake or misleading reports, according to a research paper presented at a seminar hosted by the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) on Saturday. Kalbela ranked second, and Ittefaq third.
The research was conducted by Mamun-or-Rashid, a consultant of the EBLICT (Enrichment of Bangla Language in ICT through Research and Development by Bangladesh Computer Council) project. The title of his study was "Recent Dynamics of Disinformation in Bangladesh’s Media."
According to the findings, the tendency to publish fake news in the country’s media increased after the mass student movement on August 5 last year. This trend has reached such a level that even top mainstream outlets have been caught spreading misinformation.
Rather than focusing on truth and objectivity, media houses are prioritizing viral content. The study noted that such content is often published intentionally, motivated by commercial and financial gain from viral news.
Other outlets mentioned for news retractions include Jugantor, The Daily Star, Dhaka Post, Bangla Tribune, and BDnews24, among others.
Mamun-or-Rashid stated: “This is my independent research conducted between January and June of this year. The findings are quite alarming. The data is being updated for potential journal publication.”
His methodology included six months of scraped data from fact-checking sites, and 694 dead links from mainstream media, analyzed through five different approaches.
Speaking as the chief guest, Prime Minister's Special Assistant Faez Ahmed Tayyeb warned that a record level of false information could be spread ahead of the upcoming national elections. He suggested that both parties and individual candidates may engage in such tactics.
He added:“Fabricated and sensational information tends to attract more public attention. Many media outlets knowingly spread fake news for profit.”
Tayyeb also pointed out that since August 5, Awami League’s social media presence has grown significantly, while that of opposition parties like BNP has been halved.
He emphasized the growing crisis in media integrity, saying: “Media today focuses more on going viral than reporting the truth. This approach will undermine public trust and plunge the nation into a crisis.”
He warned that if mainstream media loses credibility, content creators and bloggers will fill the void as alternative sources, which could further complicate the information landscape.
Recommendations and seminar highlights
Tayyeb urged media owners and managers to invest in digital verification and fact-checking mechanisms to combat the misinformation crisis.
Various media professionals participated in the open discussion on the paper. The seminar was moderated by PIB Senior Research Officer Golam Morshed. Discussions also focused on the need for skills development, training, and technological investment to tackle disinformation.
PIB Director General Faruk Wasif presided over the seminar. In his opening remarks, he described journalism under the previous “fascist” regime as grim, saying:
“The state itself became a factory of lies, and the media turned into its peddler.”
