Efforts towards Fake News Busting

Incidents of circulation of “false/fake news” and rumours saw nearly a three-fold rise in 2020, according to NCRB. A total of 1,527 cases of fake news were recorded in 2020 (a 214%increase ) against 486 and 280 cases in 2019 and 2018 respectively. The cases of such fake stories surge invariably when an important event like elections, either for states or centre, takes place. Taking this into account, the Election Commission of India has taken several measures to curb this menace designed to adversely influence the polls or poll prospects of a particular political party.

ECI has set up a dedicated cell to weed out fake news and fake media. The Government of India also does work in close cooperation with it to ensure the election process and people stay uninfluenced by Fake news. A system is up and running on the ECI website to debunk fake news. Dedicated press notes and advisories are issued to aware people about insidious designs of those trying to deliberately deceive or mislead a targeted audience in a particular region, state or at national level, especially through different social media channels.

In March 2022, ECI was even seen in action when it registered an FIR against the fake news hazard talking of EVM hacking by attributing former Chief Election Commission T S Krishnamurthy, and falsely claiming that the former CEC had expressed that a particular party had won assembly elections by hacking EVMs. This fake news was widely being circulated on the social platforms by some miscreants with flagrant vested interests. At times, ECI, also works with social media platforms in identifying and pulling out posts which appear to be fake and have prospects of misleading people at large. The central government is also at an advanced stage, finalising IT related new rules for social media organisations, which would potentially mandate social media platforms to remove such vindictive and spiteful contents within 24 hours. Under the new norms, deployment of technology driven automated tools and mechanisms would also be in place to proactively and timely identify, remove or disable public access to such illegal contents.

Many media houses as well as private initiatives are also in place now to combat fake news menace. These efforts rely on catching a content going viral and putting it to test the authenticity. Though there are multiple AI based methodologies being tried, the most common process is still finding a phone number to speak and verify the source. What is being checked has already gone viral, is an inherent issue with this approach and needs innovation to resolve many deadlocks, huge backlog of pending verifications and making the entire process efficient. The other problem is knowingly or unknowingly leaning to certain political viewpoint rather than keeping this exercise apolitical. This biased fake news busting exercise takes away credibility, thereby seriously damaging the efforts.

Public Broadcaster in India, Prasar Bharati, through DD News (TV), Akashvani Samachar (Radio) and PBNS (Digital) has been combating fake news by running various programs on these media. The efforts have been multiplied for disseminating authentic covid-related information. This has certainly helped in pre-emptively busting the rumour mongering tendencies. Together with the Government’s efforts by disseminating guidelines and running fake news busting exercises by PIB and MyGov, Prasar Bharati is playing a proactive and pivotal role in transparent communication about the disease, vaccines, movement restrictions and other aspects of this combat. Unlike private media however, these efforts have to remain focused on key problems of public domain, while disinformation is a much wider issue. Though, PBNS has been producing social videos of general awareness as well as it’s daily e-magazine namely “PBNS Daily Magazine” covers wider issues too.

 

Future of Journalism

The thing about numbers is that they don’t lie. This feature alone should make numbers the truest friend of any journalist. Relying just on words to express complex ideas, thoughts and opinions can not only be cumbersome, but also get trapped in the folly of disinformation, misinformation and even fake news. The widespread extent of COVID-19 has exacerbated the known discomfort of journalists with large amount of data for making opinions and analysis.

More often than not, journalists seem to be picking on the concept of dismissing any prevalent theory in an effort to combat any narrative. The idea of generating new theories and narratives requires a deeper look at available data in scientific research, census of various kinds and other public and private sources of data. Majority of the media organisations across the globe are focussing more and more on gathering different facets of data and humanising them to suit the burgeoning needs of the people with varied interests from all walks of life. Nevertheless, data driven journalism needs different data tools and techniques to stand tall, it does alleviate the pain of being judged, addressing the issues to the core and bringing out the most relevant facts and figures which leave no room for any confusion. Marketeers are familiar with the concept of primary and secondary data of market research. The basic tools deployed for crunching data in market research should also be made available to journalists in Journalism courses.

COVID-19 experience has shown journalists that the ability to understand the reports from the scientific community and decoding them, simplifying them, needed to be done in a masterful way at quick speed, to fulfil the duties of a thorough journalist. Data reported by politicians and executives as the basis of quickly planned policies needed to be examined with a comb to ensure transparency and equitable distribution of scarce, and life saving, resources. This learning also highlights the urgent need to understand data by journalists as one looks towards a future which is green and sustainable.

One of the three key goals identified by the government during the budget 2022 is promoting digital economy & fintech, technology enabled development, energy transition, and climate action. To protect the interests of future generations and prepare them for upcoming global challenges, achieving these tech and sustainability goals is vital. Data being generated around tech developments, and even the basic climate change related facts need to be understood in a better manner, as every conceivable aspect of the future of human civilisation is going to be affected by the debate and discussion around sustainability and tech development. Data is already ruling the roost for all three pillars of – information, education and entertainment – hence, journalism needs to get a better hang of looking at the couple together – numbers & words.

 

Unifying India through Melodious Voice

She will not speak again but her songs will continue to represent the mood of the nation for generations to come. Bharat Ratna Late Lata Mangeshkar (1929-2022) will remain perhaps the most iconic figure instrumental in the amalgamation of British provinces, various princely estates, zamindari estates and Jagir into one nation, India.

Over the last 70 years, her songs became part of everyone’s everyday life, as thanks to successive technological advancements, music is in office, while walking, alone or with a friend, to relieve stress, to refresh the mind, to celebrate, to mourn – and she sang them for all occasions. It is a scientific fact that Music does wonders to our mental, physical and spiritual advancement. Lataji‘s songs gave us mental peace, satisfaction, positive thoughts, increased attention, enhanced productivity and creativity. Her songs accompanied Indians on their walks, gym and yoga classes and surely helped with health, as research has shown that blood flows more easily when music is played and it relieves symptoms of depression, stimulates memories, and manages pain. Patriotism is a natural outlet of spiritual progress, and her songs have been the instrument to honour mother India.

Lataji treated music as a sacred ritual, as she removed her footwear every time she entered a recording room. She was trained in Bhendibazar gharana under Ustad Aman Ali. Her rendition of songs after Indian classical music definitely helped in preserving the cultural identity of the land. She sang for stars of Hindi and over two dozen other languages, as every female actor wanted to lip sync to her songs, every music composer, director wanted a piece of her work. Her family? List of siblings consisted of all-legendary singers and composers-Asha Bhonslae, Meena, Usha, and Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

PM Modi represents every Indian when he said, “I am anguished beyond words. The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people.”

Truly, She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled.

 

COVID Vaccination – Front Row Seat

Indian media is celebrating the words, “I appreciate your government’s efforts as it has selflessly donated nearly 8 million immunizations with at least 38 countries.” in a letter received by India’s Ambassador to the USA. It has been written by US Congresswoman Joyce Beatty who is the leader of the Black Caucus, an influential Congressional group championing human rights and help to poor and needy. India has surely leaped into the front-row seat in the post-Covid world order due to its large-scale implementation capabilities demonstrated in handling the pandemic while considering the welfare of all at home with Sabka Saath and abroad with Vaccine Maitri.

Covishield, Covaxin, ZyCov-D, Sputnik V, COVOVAX, CORBEVAX vaccine, and now Sputnik light in the pipeline – India surely has managed to be on top of vaccine development, manufacturing, transportation, and administration at an unprecedented level. As against 542 million doses in the USA, India has managed to administer 1,689 million doses at a war footing. Further, India has supplied around 150 million doses to 98 countries (Covishield, Covaxin, Covovax).

This has not been an easy ride for sure that India has braved 3rd wave very effectively and is almost back to normalcy. Starting with a lookout of only 450-550 million doses in Nov2020 and huge concerns of geographical mobility difficulties, lack of cold storage facilities, and other factors leading to vaccine wastage India had a mountain to move. Fearing the crowding in coming to vaccination centres was genuine and caused valid reluctance.

Walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers helped in building over 29,000 storage points all over India. Leadership across the levels engaged in virtual meetings for hours on end every day with vaccine manufacturers, vaccine transport agencies, storage centres, cold chain points, and COVID Vaccination Centres. This was done to ensure that every drop of the available vaccines is used as optimally as possible.

Training the ASHA workers at war footing, developing CoWIN platform, and deploying effectively to manage vaccination efforts were masterstrokes. Vaccine Hesitancy was actively resolved by leading from the front as Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared images of taking vaccines early morning at AIIMS. Misinformation and fake news combatting were done by engaging in talks with the community and religious, political leaders. Door-to-door campaigning, ‘Har ghar dastak’ involved health workers, nurses and teachers – which went door to door, counselling and enrolling people, and issuing appointment tokens for vaccination.

On 18th September 2,50,10,390 covid vaccines were administered. This is 10,42,100 per hour or 17,368 per minute or 289 doses per second. None of the developed nations have been able to come anywhere close to this scale and is a testimony of transforming the Public Health Care system under Ayushman Bharat. India has shown a large-scale implementation capability not seen anywhere else in the world, and India does it with the ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, as appreciated by the black caucus.

 

QR Code: Welcoming the Next Revolution


In 1951, the world was introduced to a game-changing technology by Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, when they invented Barcode, the thin and thick black bars that are like limbs to each and every product worldwide even today. For seven decades, Barcodes have ruled the production world as it allowed it to track products and inventory like a piece of cake. The inception of QR scanning is so revolutionary that if recognised critically, it is even ready to replace the present system, along with opening doors to a completely scan-based lifestyle & businesses.

 

Today QR scanning is widely used globally for making payments, as evident even in rural India, for restaurant menus, for tracking and storing details of various product, companies, stakeholders and clients, in media like hyperlinks, in bookings of flights, shows, trains etc., in hirings, computing, record-keeping, buying, selling, directing, sharing and what not. In 2019, over 73% of India’s total web traffic had come from mobile phones. Internet penetration rate in India went up to nearly around 45% in 2021. This rate of Internet literacy in the country and access to smartphones have led to the massive adoption of QR Codes. Hence, from product packaging to billboards, to walls of buildings, one can find various types of QR Codes almost everywhere.

 

Ever since the launch of UPI, India has experienced a paradigm shift in Digital payments. People relied on it for fund transfers (especially post-demonetization), leading to a significant rise in QR code adoption by merchants, customers and others. A July 2020 report of an RBI committee on ‘The analysis of QR Code’ said, “Over 20+ million UPI QRs deployed in the market (July 2020). The volume of digital payments using UPI QR are approximately over 250 million on a monthly basis.” The committee even suggested that the Government should allow a lower controlled interchange instead of zero MDR on QR code & even offer tax incentives to merchants to let QR code transactions flourish even more in the country.  Covid-19 has fueled the future in digital payment, especially in Asia. According to McKinsey, there has been an 80/20 rise in digital payments. This indicates that the digital user base has seen a 20% increase, 80% of which has been registered during the peak of Covid-19.

 

Apart from payments, these dotted codes are helping brands globally to elevate their position in the market. They are being used widely for imbibing products and events information, for availing offers, channeling traffic on social media, and even app downloads. Almost all of the Fortune 500 companies have already added QR Codes to their marketing stack since the last few years. With its unique feature to work through its print on a physical paper, it is also becoming a tool of mass awareness and learning too.

 

Digital tools are largely governing the operationalisation of the modern world, especially metropolitan and urban settlements. The second decade of the 21st century has beautifully led the world to kickstart its transition into a digital era, letting people across the globe to accept technological assistance, first in profession, then in governance, then personalization and now even in core household operations. One such digital tool is QR (quick response) Code, which is as powerful as the digital technology itself.