UNB's annual District Correspondents’ Conference puts onus on credible journalism – United News of Bangladesh

The annual District Correspondents’ Conference of United News of Bangladesh (UNB) took place at the news agency’s conference room in the capital’s Malibagh on Saturday, bringing together nearly 100 journalists from across the country to discuss contemporary media landscapes, professional integrity, and digital challenge.
Zahir Uddin Swapon, who served as Information and Broadcasting Minister till the eve of the conference, inaugurated the daylong gathering as the chief guest. 
Addressing the evolving media environment, Swapon said that readership for hard-copy newspapers is declining as audiences shift toward device-oriented, digital platforms. While acknowledging that media houses naturally experience an instinct to break news quickly, he warned that the rush for instant sensation can trap organisations in a lack of objectivity.
“The credibility and credentials of a media organisation are like glass. They can break or develop a crack in a single incident,” Swapon said, stressing that building long-term trust requires continuous dedication to objective reporting. 
He also called on “white” or responsible journalists to help isolate yellow journalism and digital junk from mainstream media, while stressing that media entrepreneurs must fully comply with labor laws and the Wage Board to ensure proper salary structures, job security, and working environments for media professionals.
UNB Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan welcomed the participants and thanked district correspondents for attending despite busy schedules. 
Khan, who founded UNB in 1988, said journalism in Bangladesh has weathered many dark chapters. 
“Now is the time to leave the past behind and look ahead. The time to prepare for a better future is now. UNB remains the most trusted name for readers in Bangladesh because we have never betrayed that trust. Today, we make just one pledge: we will always stand firmly on the side of truth,” he said.
Highlighting UNB’s core identity, he attributed the agency’s strong public reputation to its unwavering commitment to truth and factual integrity. Urging journalists to focus on shaping the future rather than getting caught in the past, he reaffirmed that UNB will continue its journey with the dedicated support of its nationwide reporting network.
Afsan Chowdhury, academic and veteran journalist said, “We have considerable capacity to do good work in journalism, but our rate of putting that capacity to use remains far too low. The media landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Almost no one reads print newspapers anymore. Social media is growing bigger than mainstream media with each passing day. In this environment, we must do whatever it takes to sustain readers’ demand for mainstream media.”
Mahfuzur Rahman, Speech Writer to the Prime Minister and ex-editor of UNB, said: “We are living through an enormously confusing time. Amid this flood of information all around us, the real challenge now is how much of it readers choose to accept and how much they reject. Still, I believe people will eventually gravitate back toward mainstream media.”
Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, former Foreign Affairs Adviser to a caretaker government, said Bangladesh has no shortage of intellectual resources. “If this vast pool of intellectual capital can be put to proper use, many difficult tasks can be made easier, and journalism’s old glory can be restored,” he added. 
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP Barrister Arman Bin Quasem said the fact that UNB is working in the same way as before means it is maintaining its standard. “If they hadn’t done this, after the change of regime, many people’s identities were erased. But the way UNB used to speak before, it is still able to speak the same way today, this is proof they’re upholding the standards,” the MP said. 
Asad-ul Iqbal Latif, Principal Research Fellow of the Cosmos Foundation, said: “There’s no room to underestimate local news in broadcast media. Broadcast must be “narrowcast”, finding the exact right audience. A single local news story can, at times, grow into a national issue.”
Shahed Mohammad Ali, Editor of The Daily Samakal said, “A significant fear is building up in the media around AI. Many say journalists will be pushed into early retirement because of AI. But I believe the need for on-the-ground journalism will never disappear. The field reporter remains the biggest asset of any news organization, and that is something AI can never replace.”
Golam Iftekhar Mahmud, Editor and Publisher of Dhaka Stream, said, “The identity of being a journalist has turned into an insult at the local level… This tendency of weighing everything in the same scale, lumping everything together, and forming judgments based on the same circumstances—I think this must stop right now.”
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Chairman Jalal Ahmed said credibility is extremely important for UNB, or any media outlet, particularly a news agency, in order to survive in the current media landscape.
“Because you are a news agency, that report is carried by around 50 newspapers or news media outlets. So, the impact of such an error becomes much greater,” he said.
Fahim Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jamuna Television, said journalists must be both skilled and committed to the truth.
The conference featured high-level panel discussions and interactive sessions between newsroom members and district correspondents. 
United News of Bangladesh (UNB)
Cosmos Centre 69/1 New Circular Road, Malibagh, Dhaka-1217,Bangladesh.
Email: [email protected]

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