Training workshop Ends Youth Resilient to Misinformation: Building Local Engagement and Media Development

Today’s  Bangladesh where digital transmission is advancing in leaps and bounds, the dangers of misinformation and disinformation large from capital to rural areas. The youth and youth women need to be aware and alert of these dangers and prepare themselves accordingly. Misinformation represents a major threat to democracy, transparency, and security. It affects Bangladesh societies at different levels, in combating hate speech, discrimination, violence, and gender inequalities.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), with support from The Asia Foundation, kicked off the Inception phase of a two-part project titled Youth Resilient to Misinformation: Building Local Engagement and Media Development on 18 February 2024 at Kaligonj, Satkhira in Bangladesh. 

The training workshop on awareness of youth and young women about misinformation was held in the hall of Radio Nalta. 36 youth and youth women from Nalta and Bharasimla Union of Kaliganj Upazila of Satkhira district participated as trainees in this workshop. The training workshop was conducted by Mr. Rehan Uddin Ahmed Raju, Communication Specialist and Mr. Minhaz Uddin, Assistant Professor Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Jagannath University. Program Manager Mr. Md. Taherul Islam and Program Associate Ms. Sanjida Akhter were present on behalf of The Asia Foundation. Mr. Selim Sharier, Station Manager of Radio Nalta was present on behalf of Radio Nalta. 108 youth (54 male and 54 female) were trained in three days.

The impact of misinformation in Bangladesh is amplified by limited media literacy and access to verified information, particularly among youth and youth women and marginalized groups. Consequently, countering misinformation requires a concerted effort to promote media literacy and information integrity, providing individuals with the tools to recognize and address false information.

In the backdrop, Youth Resilient to Misinformation: Building Local Engagement and Media Development is a unique and innovative program utilizing Facebook holders as a hyper-local for galvanizing the energy and skills of youth and youth women to combat the growing misinformation on social and other media. The project will contribute to social cohesion, governance, and information integrity by increasing the resilience of youth and youth women to recognize misinformation, gendered misinformation, bringing them as allies and agents of change in strengthening the information integrity ecosystem in rural Bangladesh and address the issue of misinformation by empowering youth and youth women with skills and tools to collect data, raise awareness and expose false information, including digital content targeting to the political leaders and women community. 

Specifically, the project seeks to support youth and youth women to increase their capacities to counter misinformation, and gendered misinformation and jointly develop sustainable solutions for an information integrity ecosystem.

In this connection, the project sets out to Facebook page development for working with rural youths through the hyperlocal method and Identify 108 Facebook holders to be involved with the Facebook Platform for countering misinformation at Kaligonj, Satkhira in Bangladesh and at national level – distribution of the Journalism, ‘Fake News & Disinformation Handbook to the Mass Communication and Journalism Department of Public and Private Universities, organize dialogue with the media professional training institutes and organizing Training of Trainers on ‘Fake News & Misinformation for building a resource pool. 

To this end, increasing leadership skills and participation of youth and youth women in better governance processes and stakeholders for strengthening mechanisms for countering misinformation in Bangladesh.  

Youth Resilient to Misinformation: Building Local Engagement and Media Development project is led by Mr. Hiren Pandit, AHM Bazlur Rahman, Other team members include Ms. Nymun Nahar Islam and Ms. Protiva Banerjee of BNNRC.