Four European ambassadors visit Prothom Alo
Four ambassadors of Europe have emphasised continued cooperation between Bangladesh and the various countries of Europe. They were positive about taking this cooperation further ahead in the coming days.
These observations were made Wednesday afternoon by ambassador of the European Union, Charles Whitely, ambassador of Denmark, Winnie Estrup Petersen, ambassador of Switzerland, Nathalie Chuard, and the ambassador of Sweden, Alexandra Berg von Linde.
These four diplomats presently serving in Bangladesh were visiting the Prothom Alo office. They were received by the Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, after which they visited the various departments of the newspaper.
During a discussion with senior staff members at the Prothom Alo conference room, they were apprised of the media house’s various activities and initiatives. They then discussed the future of media in context of the changing global circumstances.
Danish ambassador Winnie Estrup Petersen and Swedish ambassador Alexandra Berg von Linde observed that newspapers all over the world, including in the West, were going through critical times. There was a competition between the print and the online media. Newspaper circulation was falling and so was business in this industry. They asked how far this challenge had impacted the news industry in Bangladesh and how it was being handled.
In response, editor Matiur Rahman said that due to various circumstances, including the Covid-19 outbreak, circulation and revenue has dropped for the print newspaper. On the other hand, readers and revenue were increasing online.
He further said Prothom Alo saw a bright future ahead for online news media, though the importance of the print edition would remain. That is why Prothom Alo was making an extra effort to ensure a continued improvement in the print edition of the newspaper.
The European diplomats then referred to the profusion of fake and fabricated news in recent times which was another challenge for the media and asked about this in the context of Bangladesh.
They were told that such fake and false news in the social media was at times a challenge for the mainstream media, though Prothom Alo always remained committed to professionalism and the highest standards of journalism.
Also present at this meeting with the diplomats were Prothom Alo’s managing editor Sajjad Sharif, associate editor Abdul Quayum, associate editor Anisul Hoque, feature editor Shumama Sharmin and the heads of the various departments.