Recently, I read a news article that stated how during this global health crisis a lab in Thane, Mumbai is sealed by the government because they gave fake COVID positive reports to people. The reason behind this is the lab has a connection with private hospitals. After giving fake positive reports they send the patient to those particular hospitals who have got the package of three lakhs rupees for COVID patients. This false news turned the lives of these citizens upside down. (Source: https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/coronavirus/news)
Well, I wonder how do people even get such ideas in a situation where the world is struggling, people are facing anxiety and depression due to lockdown, pay-cut, unemployment, and so on.
There is a great deal of subjectivity on where its boundaries begin and end. There have been instances where not only ordinary people but there have been several instances where doctors, journalists, and public figures have also played a role in spreading fake news stories.
Communicators have been trying different methods to bust the myths and fake news. People keep spreading wrong news by forwarding messages on WhatsApp or post it on social media without even cross-checking it. To get rid of this, campaigns are done to stop people from spreading the wrong information.
In 2018, WhatsApp did its first television campaign where they urged and spoke about ‘Share joy and not rumours’. They took the comprehensive efforts to educate Indians about unauthentic forwarded messages and dangers of fake news. They addressed this issue through three videos ads that focused on ordinary people teaching their close ones, how they can avoid being the propagators of fake news. These videos were available on television, cinemas, YouTube, and social media sites like Facebook.
Last month, even TikTok initiated a short video campaign ‘Mat Kar Forward’ to educate people about misinformation on social media platforms, and the circulation of fake news cause panic. It was directed by Anurag Basu and actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan, and Kriti Sanon and cricketer Virat Kohli came together to discourage people from forwarding messages that can lead to misinformation and hate crimes. Their segments have been digitally patched as it was done during the lockdown.
Like this, various brands have been making efforts in a simple and smart manner to encourage them to stop forwarding messages, pictures, and videos that do not have verified information.
My Scratchpad 