UNB, Seoul :
UNB Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan represented Bangladesh at the 17th Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) General Assembly in Seoul, highlighting the significance of a serious debate on the obligations of social media in democracy or even on ‘Net Accountability’ as the internet and social media boom is blamed for surge in fake news and misinformation.
“The rise of the Internet is helping fake news and misinformation spread faster than ever and companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google are more likely to be blamed for the surge. Social media companies are struggling with fake news but insist that they have taken steps to tackle the problem,” Enayetullah Khan said.
The traditional media across the globe is facing quite a challenge with a drastic change in the public sphere over the last decade. “Fake news, rising from the ‘ashes of the dead news’, has made people more worried nowadays,” Khan said.
Leaders of key news agencies in the Asia-Pacific region gathered at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul for the four-day OANA General Assembly that began on November 7 to discuss ways to cope with the changing media landscapes and promote mutual exchanges and partnerships.
Organised by Korean Yonhap news agency and chaired by Azertac, the General Assembly brought together heads and representatives of 32 news agencies from 28 countries. Formed in 1961 at the initiative of UNESCO to promote regional news exchanges, OANA holds its general assembly after every three years. A total of 43 news agencies, including United News of Bangladesh (UNB), from 35 Asia-Pacific countries, are its members.
The members also include South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, China’s Xinhua News Agency, Japan’s Kyodo News and TASS Russian News Agency. North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency is also a member but did not attend this year’s meeting.
