Older adults need young people’s support to develop media and information literacy and identify fake news, Information and Broadcasting and Cultural Affairs Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman said at a seminar at East West University.

He spoke as the chief guest at the seminar, titled “Media and Information Literacy Skills for 21st Century Youth”, and a special award ceremony held on 29 October, 2026, at the university’s Manzur Elahi Auditorium.

The Department of Information Studies organised the event as part of the nationwide celebration of Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2026. It was held in collaboration with the Unesco Dhaka Office and the Media and Information Literacy Network Bangladesh, with support from the UN Electoral Project “Ballot”.

Addressing the gathering, Zahed said fake news and misinformation were spreading rapidly in Bangladesh, as elsewhere in the world. He said the government prioritised educating and empowering citizens over imposing strict regulatory controls.

Noting that older adults were often more vulnerable to misinformation on social media than younger people, he urged the youth to help seniors identify false and misleading information.

Professor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin, chairperson of the university’s board of trustees, chaired the seminar.

Professor Dr Mohammad Ashik Mosaddik, acting vice-chancellor of East West University; Dr Susan Vize, Unesco representative to Bangladesh; and Andrés del Castillo Sánchez, representative of the UN Electoral Project “Ballot” in Bangladesh, attended as special guests.

Professor Dr Dilara Begum, chairperson of the university’s Department of Information Studies, presented the keynote paper. Professor Dr Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq of Dhaka University’s Department of Information Science and Library Management discussed the paper in detail.

Following the seminar, students and awareness advocates received awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the week-long media literacy activities.