From Jamia violence to an old video of the woman who raised pro-Pakistan slogans at an anti-CAA event in Bengaluru on Thursday, 19 February, here’s a quick weekly round-up of all the WhatsApp forwards and fake tweets that you fell for this week!
1. Student in Library Clip Isn’t the One Burning Bike at CAA Protest
Social media is flooded with false and manipulated content regarding the recently released CCTV footages of the violence that broke out on 15 December 2019 between students and Delhi Police at the Jamia Milia Islamia University.
Among them is an old video of a person setting a motorcycle on fire in Delhi’s New Friends Colony. That video is being shared online along with the new CCTV footage from the old reading hall in the university (released by the Jamia Coordination Committee), to claim that the people in the two videos are the same.
The photo on the left is from Mata Mandir Road in New Friends Colony area while the one on the right is from the Old Reading Hall and The Quint was able to identify the student as Mohammad Salman Khan, who is pursuing a PhD at the university.
Speaking to The Quint, he said, “I was on the first floor. On the ground floor, a lot of tear gas was being shelled and it was hazy all around. So, I was finding it difficult to breathe. It’s not a mask. I had put a handkerchief on my face.”
We further compared the two photographs and found visual differences between them. You can read the full story here.
2. Trump’s Pinocchio Moments: 10 Times US Prez Spread Disinformation
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are all set to visit India on 24 and 25 February and the visit is already making headlines for all the right and wrong reasons. Be it the chatter around an Indo-US trade deal or the masking of Ahmedabad’s slums, Trump’s visit is attracting eyeballs everywhere.
Labelling most of the criticism levelled against him as fake news or propaganda by media, Trump’s disdain for media is not a hidden secret. However, over the years, he has been in news more than just once for sharing fake news and disinformation.
So as India prepares to host the United States president, here’s a list of top 10 moments when Trump was caught sharing disinformation.
You can read the full story here.
3. Coronavirus: How Tech Companies Are Dealing With Fake News & Lies
The deadly Coronavirus outbreak which has claimed over 2,000 lives in mainland China has not only put global health authorities on high alert but is also giving sleepless nights to fact checkers across the globe.
From videos being shared out of context to media misreporting about the infected cases and WhatsApp forwards on prevention and cure of the novel virus, The Quint has debunked several such claims.
However, the misinformation being circulated on social media poses a big challenge to tech companies like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram to find effective ways to counter this deluge.
While Facebook’s efforts to tackle misinformation include empowering partners with data tools, limiting misinformation and harmful content, among others, Twitter, too, in its blog post says that the organisation is dedicated to “promoting constructive engagement, and to highlight credible information on this emerging issue.”
You can read the full story here.
4. Corpses of Wuhan Coronavirus Patients Dumped on Roads? Fake Alert
In one such incident, a video is doing rounds on social media with a claim that the Chinese government has dumped the dead bodies of coronavirus infected people on the roadside in Wuhan.
“The video that the Chinese government does not want you to see. A short motorcycle ride throughout the street of Wuhan show you the real pictures in china dead bodies all over contaminated with the coronavirus,” the claim reads.
The Quint can verify that although the video has not been altered in any form, there is no truth to the claim with which it is being shared.
The video is from a place called Shenzhen which is 1,094 km away from Wuhan. Further, it shows migrants sleeping and not dead bodies dumped on road side.
You can read the full story here.
5. Muslims Threw Meat Near Hindu Temple? No, They’re Rooster Feathers
A viral video on social media claims that Muslims threw pieces of meat near a Hindu temple in Hathras’ Nai ka Nagla area in Uttar Pradesh.
In the video, alleged meat pieces can be seen lying on the ground with dogs loitering around them.
However, the Hathras Police found that the things lying on the ground are not pieces of meat but feathers of a rooster and other waste material that were thrown by a shopkeeper into a dustbin.
You can read the full story here.
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