Compilation Archives

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra: Propaganda powered with misinformation

Pooja Chaudhuri14th June 202015th June 2020

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…

Sudarshan News and its history of dangerous, communally-divisive misinformation

Pooja Chaudhuri23rd October 201929th August 2020

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…

Old images, digital artworks shared as first photographs of Earth sent by Chandrayaan-2

Mohammed Zubair27th July 201927th July 2019

“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…

Misinformation by Indian mainstream media – Top stories 2018

Arjun Sidharth5th January 20195th January 2019

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 round-up: Sabarimala becomes focus of misinformation

Arjun Sidharth5th November 2018

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…

September round-up: Aggressive political propaganda on social media

Arjun Sidharth15th October 2018

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: A relentless purveyor of misinformation

Arjun Sidharth15th September 201818th September 2018

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 peek into the online world of Gaurav Pradhan – a compilation of misinformation

Pooja Chaudhuri5th September 20185th September 2018

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…

Inside the secret world of Facebook groups offering fake Aadhaar cards

Pooja Chaudhuri9th August 20189th August 2018

“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…

Decoded: The business of Facebook pages – selling Modi, God, patriotism and more

Pooja Chaudhuri6th August 2018

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…