Of Fake News & Farce

Of Fake News & Farce

In a significant development, the Election Commission has said that a total of 647 cases of paid news – fake news, to be precise – have been found while 909 posts have been taken down from various social media platforms during the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections that ended last Sunday. Of the total paid news cases, 57 were registered in the seventh phase of voting, one in the sixth phase, eight in the fifth phase, 136 in the fourth phase, 52 in the third phase, 51 in the second phase, and the highest, 342, in the first phase. This is alarming. The syndrome began right in the first phase, registering the highest number of fake news, as if the nefarious trend would continue unabated. That it did not, is another matter. Nonetheless, what is perturbing is the syndrome taking roots steadily. And its ramifications for the media are perilous. One cannot talk of a free and fair press, be it the print media or the 24X7 news channels, unless the trend of paid news is checked and the people given genuine information, not misinformation with the potential to engender social unrest.

What is intriguing is that, of the posts taken down by Facebook, 482 were political posts during the so-called silence period – 48 hours prior to polling, 73 political advertisements during the silence period, two violations of the model code of conduct, 43 cases of voter misinformation, 28 were against public morality and decency, 11 were exit polls, and 11 were related to hate speech and undue influence. Out of 220 posts taken down by Twitter, eight posts were political posts during the silence period, 34 violated the model code of conduct, 102 were voter misinformation (impersonating EC’s Twitter accounts), 74 were of exit polls, and two were of hate speech and undue influence. It is indeed surprising that there should be exit polls even during polling, which is absolutely against the very purpose of elections, especially the fairness part of it. What is further disturbing is that all the 31 posts taken down by ShareChat are related to violation of the model code of conduct, while three of the five posts taken down by Google are related to voter misinformation and one each of political posts during the silence period and hate speech and undue influence. Where is the function of any silence period then? When there ought to be silence, what has surfaced is fake news and misinformation fed to voters – all directed towards influencing the voters in the wrong direction, and therefore, all directed towards defeating the very purpose of free and fair polls.

Technology has its disadvantage even as its imperative cannot be dismissed in any way. But it is incumbent on all social media platforms – which is a free world with huge ramifications for a free, fair and just society – to commit towards removing such posts or updates or information (rather misinformation) that run counter to the interests of the society at large and that cannot be called social in any way. It is here that these platforms ought to wake up to the need of the hour. After all, this priceless democracy of ours cannot be allowed to be hijacked by those who do not have the interest of democracy in their minds in the first place. There is no gainsaying, therefore, that the Election Commission has to be far more alert and proactive in the matter – a very grave one.

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