Ministry Urges Media Not to Publish Religious Minister's Remarks Out of Context, Seeks Review of Reports
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has urged the media to reconsider published news reports and headlines, taking proper account of the context of the religious affairs minister's remarks. The ministry made the call in a rejoinder on Saturday (24 October).
The rejoinder said several news reports published on the basis of remarks by Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain (Kaykobad) to journalists after the triennial council session of the National Imam Association had come to the ministry's attention.
According to the ministry, the headlines and presentation of several reports did not properly reflect the full context of the minister's remarks.
In particular, some headlines and presentations of the remarks involving educational institutions and madrasas could create confusion among readers, the rejoinder mentioned.
According to the rejoinder, in reply to journalists' questions, the religious minister made clear that any kind of untoward incident in the country as a whole is sad and shameful.
The minister also mentioned that the prime minister has given necessary directions to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. He said all necessary measures would be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
The ministry said it is essential to consider the overall context in order to understand the proper meaning and significance of the minister's remarks.
The rejoinder also warned that if any part of the remarks is presented in isolation, there is a risk of creating a wrong interpretation or a misleading idea about the original statement.
The rejoinder called on the media concerned to reconsider the published reports and headlines. It also requested necessary corrections and proper presentation of information in line with the real meaning and context of the remarks.
The ministry sought the cooperation of the media concerned in delivering accurate information to the people by maintaining objectivity, professional responsibility and impartiality in news presentation.
Such a formal rejoinder over news coverage of a minister's remarks always sparks discussion about the relationship between the media and the government. The responsibility of presenting news accurately on one side, and the government's right to clarify its own position on the other — both issues have come to the fore here.
It now remains to be seen how the media concerned respond to the ministry's call and whether any correction or explanation follows regarding the reports.
