The Editors’ Council on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s dismissal of a widely circulated photo of a police officer pressing a student protester’s mouth as ‘AI-generated.’
The council in a statement said that during the recent protests by engineering university students, a police officer on duty was seen clamping a student’s mouth with his hand.
After the photo was published in various media outlets, the police claimed it was AI-generated.
Subsequent verification by media organisations confirmed the photo was genuine.
‘As members of the Editors’ Council, we are well aware of AI, and whenever we publish AI-generated images in newspapers, we mentioned it in the newspaper,’ said the statement, signed by its president Mahfuz Anam and general secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud.
The editors’ council also supported a statement issued by Dhaka Reporters Unity, stating that on August 28, a pre-announced roundtable discussion was held at the DRU, but a group of people, suddenly entered and attempted to create a mob situation there.
‘Condemning the incident, DRU later issued a statement, which the Editors’ Council supported,’ it added.
Meanwhile, a new initiative has been taken to implement the Mass Media Employees Protection Act, to formulate which initiatives were basically taken during the ousted Awami League regime.
‘It has been reported that the current interim government has moved to implement the law by retaining many of its provisions unchanged. Even, the Ministry of Information has also sought opinions on the matter from the Editors’ Council and other organisations.’
Noting that such trends reflect the mindset and approach of the previous regime, Editors’ Council also said that such repetition recalled past attempts by the former regime to interfere with independent journalism and impose unilateral measures.
