US may think Bangladesh as enemy over false media reports: Momen

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen. File photo

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen today (October 29, 2022) said through misquoting him, journalists tried to make Bangladesh as an enemy of the US.

“A total of 17 media outlets published headlines saying that I had mentioned the US as a war-mongering country, which I didn’t. The headings had no connection with what I had actually said,” Momen said.

The minister was speaking after paying homage to the grave of Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara this (October 29, 2022) noon.

“Through misrepresenting the facts, our journalists have tried to make the US our enemy. Either these journalists didn’t know Bangla properly, or they have done this for specific reasons. They need to do research why such low quality journalism prevails in the country,” Momen added.

He said he thinks the journalists of the country have weaknesses in them and they need more maturity while writing and publishing news.

Momen said the headlines of the reports were false, fabricated and imaginary.

The minister further said the country’s journalism does not have standard and the journalists lack moral and ethical values which were present in the past.

“It’s a shame for those journalists who wrote those false stories. It’s a thing to be sorry about,” Momen said.

On October 26, Momen was reportedly misquoted by some media outlets after he spoke at the seminar “Sheikh Hasina at the United Nations” organised by the Progressive Columnist Forum of Bangladesh at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.

Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issued a rejoinder, saying that misleading and baseless news quoting Foreign Minister Momen sent a wrong message to the people and the government of the US.