“Rumor Scanner’s Analysis of 271 False Information Pieces Involving Bangladesh” According to the findings of the fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner, 271 instances of false information related to Bangladesh have been spread through Indian media and social media accounts operated from India. The organization identified these falsehoods, which began circulating online in January of this year. In addition to identifying false information by category, the organization also published two statistics and one fact file last month.
A report released on their website on Sunday revealed that among these falsehoods, political issues accounted for the largest share with 114 instances, making up 42% of the total false information. Additionally, 67 falsehoods were related to national issues, 29 to international matters, 18 to religious issues, 15 to entertainment and literature, 9 to education, 6 to fraud, and 5 to sports.
The fact-checking agency states that out of these incidents, 115 were information-based falsehoods, 54 were image-based falsehoods, and 102 were video-based falsehoods. Among the identified false information, 175 were classified as false, 65 as misleading, and 31 as distorted.
Rumor Scanner’s investigation reveals that Facebook was the platform with the most spread false information last month, with a total of 225 instances. Additionally, 56 instances were found on X, 44 on TikTok, 42 on YouTube, 19 on Instagram, and at least one instance on Threads.
Rumor Scanner also reports that the country’s media was not exempt from spreading false information. The agency found 16 incidents where multiple local media outlets spread false information.
The fact-checking agency reports that since last year, the spread of false information involving Bangladesh from Indian media and social media accounts operated from India has increased. This trend was observed in January, according to Rumor Scanner. The agency states that in the last month, seven incidents of false information related to Bangladesh were spread by Indian media outlets, and in nine incidents, false information was spread on social media by Indian accounts and pages.
The issue of communal misinformation has been a topic of discussion for several months. In January, Rumor Scanner identified 32 instances of communal misinformation. Of these, 25 incidents involved the spread of misinformation through Indian accounts and pages on social media.
According to the observations of the Rumor Scanner team, last month, 13 instances of false information involving the current interim government were spread. To understand the nature of these false claims, Rumor Scanner categorized them into two separate groups.
False information that supported the government was categorized as positive, and information that opposed the government was considered negative. Rumor Scanner found that in 77% of cases, this misinformation was used to portray the government negatively. In January, 12 false pieces of information were circulated about the government’s chief adviser, Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Additionally, false information involving government advisers Dr. Asif Nazrul, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Nahid Islam, and A F M Khalid Hossain was also identified by the fact-checking agency.
Rumor Scanner’s analysis of last month’s fact-checks reveals that the political party most targeted by false information during this time was Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Approximately 94% of the misinformation identified about the party was intended to create a negative perception. The party’s student wing, Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, was also involved in the spread of false information.
The Rumor Scanner also observed the spread of false information about the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Misinformation was identified regarding the party’s chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, acting chairman Tarique Rahman, and secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The fact-checking agency reports that last month, misinformation involving the Bangladesh Awami League and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who were deposed in August last year, was identified. However, Rumor Scanner found that this misinformation created opportunities to foster a positive perception of them.
The agency also mentions that state forces were not spared from false information. Last month, Rumor Scanner identified 12 instances of misinformation involving the Bangladesh Army, including two related to General Waker-uz-Zaman, the Chief of Army Staff. Additionally, four instances of misinformation involving the Bangladesh Police, including one regarding Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md. Sajjat Ali, were identified. There were also two false pieces of information related to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in January.
The fact-checking agency reports that the “Anti-Discrimination Student Movement,” which led the student protests demanding government reforms, has frequently been associated with the spread of false information, including misinformation about its leaders and the organization.
Rumor Scanner also identified five instances of false information related to clashes between students from Dhaka University’s (DU) affiliated seven colleges and DU students. Additionally, last month, 33 incidents involving the use of fake news articles, logos, headlines, and manipulated photos were discovered. These incidents included the involvement of 20 local and international news outlets, which spread 39 pieces of false information, as identified by Rumor Scanner.
LND/SAKIB
