Fake News & Rumours

It is a fact that a lot of fake news and rumours have been doing the rounds across the country, including in Assam and other Northeastern states about the novel coronavirus which has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. WhatsApp alone has over two billion users worldwide, of which over 400 million users are in India, and even as people have started sarcastically referring to this social media platform as ‘WhatsApp University, the fact remains that a large number of fake news and rumours are in circulation in this and other social media round the clock. As fake news, rumours and misinformation have begun sweeping across the social media, these have definitely threatened to jeopardise India’s fight against COVID-19, despite the best effort put in by the governments both at the Centre and in the states. This has prompted the government to press into service the Press Information Bureau and other agencies to counter the menace, which asked people to be aware of click baits in the garb of information on coronavirus.

Look at the wide range of fake messages and rumours doing the rounds on social media – from prescribing cowdung, cow-urine, cabbage and garlic therapies to control coronavirus to false government orders shutting internet down, and reducing salaries and pension. And look who are spreading these; in Kolkata, the police have identified 46 such people, who include a senior IAS officer’s wife, a few college professors and principals, a government school teacher, president of a well-known Kolkata club, a former MP, and even a senior journalist of ‘national’ TV channels group. It was in this backdrop that the Supreme Court had on Tuesday asked the media to “maintain a strong sense of responsibility” while reporting on COVID-19. The apex court has put on record that the unprecedented mass exodus of people from New Delhi last week was mostly triggered off by fake news and rumours spread through social media. The Supreme Court has also said that it was not possible for it to overlook this menace of fake news either by electronic, print or social media. “In particular, we expect the Media (print, electronic or social) to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated…We do not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but direct the Media refer to and publish the official version about the developments,” the Supreme Court has said.