Fake news proving deadly in India: BBC

June 24, 2018 18:46

Fake news spread instantaneously over WhatsApp chat groups and Facebook is causing a firestorm in India and resulting in the loss of lives, warns the BBC in a new investigative report from Bangalore.

The British public broadcaster is set to highlight the issue in a report to be aired on BBC World News on Tuesday centred around the death of Kaluram Bachanram, who was beaten to death by a mob in Bangalore after WhastApp rumours convinced people that he was a child kidnapper.

"Kalu became a victim of India's fake news firestorm Across India eight lives have been lost in this latest wave of fallacy defeating fact. Fake news is a challenge we all grapple with but here it is proving deadly," the BBC correspondent says in his report.

The BBC has been working to combat the issue of fake news through initiatives such as "BBC Reality Check", a political discourse fact-checking service. It was launched during the European Union referendum in 2016 for both TV and online and has now been made permanent and covers a wide range of issues.

"Fake news is a big problem and it's vital for democracy that ordinary people are able to tell truth from fiction in the news they read, watch, and hear," said Jim Egan, CEO of BBC Global News Ltd.

He noted: "Trusted news will be as important as ever as we approach the elections in India next year, however a recent BBC 'Value of News' study found that 83 per cent of Indian news consumers are concerned about fake news.

"We experienced the reality of this problem recently when a fake survey on Karnataka polls circulated on WhatsApp with BBC News branding and we were forced to put out a statement making clear that it did not come from the BBC."

-- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Ex-Delhi batter Milind in USA squad for T20 World Cup

Milind Kumar played seven seasons for Delhi in Ranji Trophy along with stints for Sikkim and Tripura before he migrated to the US in search of better opportunities.

West Indies pacer Joseph gets surprise call-up for T20 World Cup

Shamar Joseph has only played three T20 matches in franchise-based leagues and has not taken a wicket.

IPL PIX: Bumrah on fire as MI limit KKR to 169

Images from the IPL 2024 match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rohith Vemula not a Dalit, he ended life because....: Police closure report

The Cyberabad police that investigated the case informed the court that Rohith Vemula did not belong to Scheduled Caste and that he was aware of it.

SC may consider Kejriwal's bail plea on Tuesday over LS polls

A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, that the hearing on Kejriwal's plea against arrest is likely to take time and therefore, the court...