A screenshot of Aaj Tak has been shared on social media, according to which a statement is ascribed to Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari. In the screenshot, the title of the Aaj Tak report is, “हर कॉलोनी में मोहल्ला क्लिनिक खोलकर नर्सिंग होम और प्राइवेट अस्पतालों को बर्बाद करना चाहते है केजरीवाल: मनोज तिवारी।” (Translation: Kejriwal wants to destroy nursing homes and private hospitals by opening a mohalla clinic in every colony: Manoj Tiwari). Among those who have shared this screenshot includes writer and film director Avinash Das. Das has shared it with the caption, कितना मूर्ख आदमी है!” (What a foolish man!) His tweet has been ‘liked’ over 3600 times and has garnered over 1000 retweets (archive).

Some Facebook users have shared this screenshot with an identical message.

PHOTOSHOPPED IMAGE: MISUSE OF AAJ TAK LOGO

The screenshot of the Aaj Tak shared on social media is photoshopped. To verify this ‘news’, Alt News searched for this report on the website of the channel, but we found no such report. Apart from this, no media organisation has reported such a statement having been made by Manoj Tiwari.

In a conversation with Alt News, Kamlesh Kishore, managing editor of the digital division of Aaj Tak, said, “This is yet another screenshot which has been circulated by misusing the name of Aaj Tak. We have seen how fake news purveyors, in order to lend credibility, often use the logo of prominent news channels. Somebody used our name and logo to make this image and share it.”

Recently, Manoj Tiwari had taken potshots at the Delhi government over mohalla clinics. He had said that the state of mohalla clinics has worsened and the present government is unable to maintain them.

In this manner, using the logo of Aaj Tak, an attempt was made to present a fake quote attributed to Manoj Tiwari as reported by the channel.

About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.