The word ‘unprecedented’ only mildly captures the year 2020. The coronavirus pandemic did more than confine the privileged inside their homes and leave the destitute to their fates. It has...
Shahrukh Khan removed from Jio ads? – How a web of imposter accounts amplified misinformation
In the past few weeks, multiple Twitter accounts impersonating prominent individuals have successfully amassed thousands of likes and retweets. Several people have fallen for these handles despite each of them...
Sambit Patra is the most visible spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is best known for his appearances as a party representative on television debates and snide remarks…
Last year, railway minister Piyush Goyal had congratulated Suresh Chavhanke on the 14th anniversary of his media venture Sudarshan News. “I hope your channel continues to inform truth to the…
“First photograph of earth, sent by Chandrayan 2….. What an eye-catching visual it is,” says a message viral on social media with a set of photographs from space. First photograph of…
2018 marked yet another year when confidence and trust in mainstream media took a hit. There were a number of instances where top news organisations ended up disseminating misinformation, wittingly…
October was a busy month at Alt News, with a flurry of misinformation and disinformation permeating the social media ecosystem. SABARIMALA BECOMES SOCIAL MEDIA FLASHPOINT The Supreme Court verdict allowing…
The month of September saw a flurry of political activity which triggered a wave of misinformation. From Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s Kailash Mansarovar yatra to PM Narendra Modi’s outreach to…
Rishi Bagree describes himself on Twitter as ‘an ordinary tax paying citizen’. His 99,000 followers on the social media platform include top functionaries of the ruling party and the Central…
A resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, “Dr” Gaurav Pradhan describes himself as a data scientist, advisor, digital strategist and professional speaker. He has his own blog where he has delved into…
“Fake Aadhaar available…Ib [Inbox] for deal,” reads one of the posts on a Facebook group “Help for Friends – Advertising Deals” or as its over 7,000 members call it “HFF”. HFF is…
Those of us even sparsely active on social media must have at some point of scrolling through an ocean of posts come across images of Indian army soldiers, with the…