The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has recently taken an initiative to amend the tobacco control law to achieve a tobacco-free Bangladesh. The draft amendment proposals have already been prepared and published on the website. Stakeholders have also provided necessary feedback on the draft proposals. However, tobacco companies are spreading false and baseless claims to hinder this important initiative of the government. The media can play a strong role to ensure speedy finalization of the draft by providing actual information and the rationale for strengthening the law. These issues were discussed by panelists at two day-long journalist workshops titled “Strengthening of Tobacco Control Laws, Ill Tactics of Companies and the Role of Media”, held at the conference room of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) on 13 and 14 September 2022. Research and anti-tobacco advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) organized the workshop, with support from Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK). The workshop was conducted with the participation of 52 journalists working in print, television and online media. The news of the event have been covered in major media houses (56 reports).
