FAKE NEWS/ MISINFORMATION/ RUMOURS :Know the facts

Hyderabad(Telangana),03 April(HS): Breaking news unfolds people increasingly rely on social media to stay abreast of the latest updates. The use of social media in such situations comes with the caveat that new information being released piecemeal may encourage rumours, many of which remain unverified long after their point of release. Little is known, however, about the dynamics of the life cycle of a social media rumour. They are dubbed jokingly false truths in social media.

The spread of misinformation is especially important in the context of breaking news, where new pieces of information are released piecemeal, often starting off as unverified information in the form of a rumour. These rumours then spread to large numbers of users, influencing perception and understanding of events, despite being unverified. Social media rumours that are later proven false can have harmful consequences both for individuals and for society. Listed below are some of the Fake News in circulation on social media and the truth or otherwise behind the claims made therein:  

1. A video is being widely shared on Facebook with the claim that Muslims are spreading coronavirus disease by applying their saliva to plates and spoons. The video in question is on social media at least since July 2018 and so obviously is not related to Coronavirus. Fact-checking the video revealed that Muslims in the video belonged to ‘Bohra’ community and they were licking the plates and spoons to not waste food.   

2. A message purportedly issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is being circulated claiming that sharing posts about Coronavirus on social media groups will be considered a punishable offence. No such orders were issued by the Union Home Ministry. However, MHA requested the citizens to verify the authenticity of the messages before sharing.

3. A couple of photos are being shared on Facebook with a claim that people in Italy are throwing money on the streets as money could not save them from COVID-19. A fact check has found that the photos are old and were taken in Venezuela, not in Italy. People threw the notes on the road as they were of little value due to hyperinflation in Venezuela.

4. A screenshot of India Today TV news channel is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Modi has announced that the current lockdown has been extended till 4 May 2020. Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the government made such an announcement. The posted India Today screenshot is a photoshopped version of the original telecast of Modi’s address to the nation on 24 March 2020.

5. A video showing Muslims sneezing en masse in a Masjid has gone viral on social media. The posts claimed that the Muslims were doing this at Nizamuddin Dargah to spread Coronavirus. A FactCheck found that the video doesn’t relate to Nizamuddin Dargah. Such hyperventilation activity is called ‘Zikr’. The video went viral first in Pakistan in January 2020. Hence the claims of the posts are false.