He receives US funds to fight disinformation. But he chooses to act the other way around. He made himself a key source of disinformation, aligned with the interest of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. This has now become a means of living for Zillur Rahman.
Though the US often points out rumours and lies as a threat to democracy, embassy officials are seemingly content with Zillur’s continuous spread of outright lies, intended to serve the interest of BNP.
An avid content creator on YouTube and Facebook, Zillur works as a moderator for a talkshow hosted by a television channel. Besides he also runs an organization named Center for Governance Studies (CGS) funded by the US, a clear pointer to US involvement behind his works.
When US embassy official Stephen Ibelli, public affairs counsellor at the US Embassy in Bangladesh, attended an event organized by Zillur this week, he lectured a lot about the danger of disinformation and the need for fact-checking. The official even likened rumours or fictitious observations to life-threatening diseases.
https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/fact-checking-cure-misinformation-spread-stephen-ibelli-833336
Misinformation is deadly, fueling violence and harming lives, what exactly said Ibelli but his words did not match his actions. His presence to validate Zillur’s so-called fight against rumours only serves as a blow to his credentials.
In a classic show of self-contradictory move, the official turned a blind eye to a litany of disinformation run by Zillur himself as exposed by media outlets.
Former AP journalist turned editor and other journalists told media that Zillur has been running a series of disinformation campaigns, a farce in the name of fact-checking.
From projecting Arab Spring-style regime change in Bangladesh to echoing opposition tune and begging for foreign intervention in Bangladesh, to running scare campaigns over economic situations among other top rumours circulated by Zillur in the past.
All stunning views are in no way serving the cause of taking guard against disinformation.
Yet Iblli found all those plain activism as part of fact-checking, a stark contrast to the vaunted claims to stand for democracy.
Moreover, in Iblli’s presence, Zillur also launched a crusade against most popular media outlets that exposed his lies and dictated outlets to toe in line with his narrative.
