By Anushka Bellani & Aadya Sharma
Do you know that Fawad Khan is making a comeback to Bollywood? Or that Ananya Pandey bribed administrators to gain entry to college? And then felt the urge to tag your best friend on that post? According to a recent survey by Stanford University, 67% of teenagers and 44% of adults share something or the other on social media without verifying it first. This phenomenon is termed as ‘Fake News.’ According to the Cambridge dictionary, fake news is defined as false stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or using other media, usually created to influence political views or to spread humour. It is a threat to the idea and effectiveness of the freedom of speech. It is usually fabricated and made to look “spicy” or “juicy” so that the readers get sucked into it without questioning the credibility of its source.
Fake news has recently become an epidemic amongst the millennial age. Social media outlets, especially WhatsApp and Facebook, help in its faster spread and make such vitriol accessible to anyone and everyone. Moreover, for when the quantum of fake news that is circulated seems less, there are fake news generators available at one’s fingertips. A simple Google search and one can create an article with a random URL on anything they wish to spread. Fake news isn’t just a problem for a specific region, it has become a global crisis. It took the United States by storm in 2016 during the Presidential Elections and was recently employed in India’s General Elections in 2019. Politicians use media for spreading propaganda or misinformation about the opposition but they resent it when they're on the receiving end. During elections, there is so much misinformation being spread across all mediums that attempts to fool the public and tilt the votes in favour of particular parties. Politicians scream about the alleged dangers of "fake news" to justify efforts to censor speeches that rub them the wrong way. In most cases, fake news is spread by politicians in various scenarios to either censor the press or to cover up an interim scandal in the political party. We can safely assume that fake news can be employed as a dangerous technique in order to help a political party’s hidden agenda.
The overtly publicised Balakot Airstrike was the retaliation administered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Pulwama Attack in which approximately 40 CRPF men were martyred. Conflicting reports spread like wildfire and sent the country reeling under emotions of both patriotism and hate. However, soon after, Reuters printed a conflicting report in which they claimed no damage was inflicted to the JEM Camp in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The number of terrorists killed in the airstrike was falsified as the news of 292 terrorists being killed, originally came out from someone who was allegedly a student of Balakot Medical University, which doesn’t actually exist. Pakistan further fuelled the fire by claiming to have shot down an Indian fighter plane but showed footage from a previous crash of 2016. The false images circulated relentlessly, despite the defence minister herself sayingthat there are “no numbers” to give out. Alt Newsfound that previously debunked images had resurfaced on social media, especially on WhatsApp, that showed devastation across the border. Meanwhile, Pakistani and Indian channels like GeoNews & TimesNowhad a field day while reporting on a captured IAF pilot, with some reporters even making up important details in order to get more coverage. With many citizens unsure of what to believe, NDTV News launched a campaign to clear up any and all sort of fake news shrouding the Balakot attacks. They took content from Reuters and CNN in order to prove the truth. They concluded that the main institution of the Madrasa which was training jihadis was still standing and India had only dropped missiles a few hundred feet away in order to warn the terrorists. But the damage by the fake news had already been done.
A month back, the latest Instagram phenomenon for teens was to spread videos of a minor with a swollen face and bloody mouth, as an attempt to spread awareness about her alleged rape. The video was so widely circulated that it also garnered the attention of celebrities like Raftaar, a rapper. It was originally believed that the young girl hailed from the state of Jammu & Kashmir, and was beaten and raped repeatedly. In a shocking twist, the family of the victim came forward, calling for peace. The video is believed to have been shot in the Middle-East, where the girl was injured in airstrikes. In another image, the girl is being shown on life support. The photograph is also fake. According to the parents of the survivor, she had no major injuries and was brought home after a proper medical check-up. The last straw was when people stoked the already burning fire by saying that the rape took place because of a property dispute. Meanwhile, the situation turned violent back home in Jammu & Kashmir, with the state still reeling from Asifa’s gang rape and the subsequent backlash. Protests turned violent in places and communal riots began, with both communities being at each other’s throats.
In ways more than one, fake news is exactly like gossip. And we as high school students are very familiar with this phrase. ‘Gossip’. What is it exactly? It’s spreading information that is in no way verified and if spread can inflict harm. Sounds familiar? Like fake news, rumours and gossip float around from one person to another. And just like fake news, since the news that we’re being told sounds so interesting, we get so into it, forgetting to look at the bigger picture which is the credibility of our source. Growing up, we believe gossip is harmless and just there for our entertainment. Some people believe the same for fake news. However, both have the ability to destroy someone’s life. The most striking similarity between gossip and fake news are the people who spread it as they do so without any sensitivity towards the victim. Just like teenagers with a penchant for gossip, social media outlets use controversial rumours to lure people for monetary and political gains. Now as you’ve gone through both sides of the metaphorical coin, exactly what is it that you can do to stop the influx of fake news?
Complete your checklist with five easy points to ensure that the news you read and pass on is 100% true and verified:
Does the website look real and is the punctuation and grammar of the content correct?
(Most fake news websites wouldn’t be designed professionally and may have lots of grammatical errors. Red flags could include lots of ‘!!!!’ and information in all capital letters)
2. When was the article published?
(Ensure that it is an actual date and is from a time that is relevant to the issue i.e. an article about the 26/11 attacks couldn’t have been written in 2006)
3. Who is the author?
(Check that the person actually exists and whether they’re a freelance blogger or belong to a media house)
4. Is the link real?
(Check whether the link seems official and is working)
5. Are the citations and sources in the article or report working and how authentic are they?
(To trick readers, most sites will make a bibliography of sources that don’t exist which can be misleading and a major red flag)
At the end of the day, the onus is on you to verify news that comes your way. Whether it’s from a friend, a news channel or another source, it is your responsibility to check it’s credibility and relevance. It is in the interest of society as a whole that it’s citizens are wary of fake news and abstain from spreading unverified pieces of information to avoid unnecessary issues that can be created by this phenomenon. According to a recent survey, 86% of internet users are exposed to fake news, so before you pass on that “juicy” piece of news, do give it a serious thought.
Commentaires