CHENNAI: According to the latest annual crime report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the cases registered under Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) – against people who circulate any statement/report containing rumour/fake or alarming news – rose by 214 % in 2020. The report estimated that 486 cases were registered in 2019 and a whopping 1,527 by 2020. To combat this mounting fake news and disinformation outbreak, the Department of Journalism, MOP Vaishnav College for Women, launched a campaign, #SayNoToFakeNews. The awareness initiative was virtually inaugurated by MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian on Tuesday.
Addressing the audience, principal Lalitha Balakrishnan stressed the need for active citizen participation and initiatives to tackle the spike in debilitating misinformation. “With the world in our palms today, we should ensure we are responsible and spread information that’s verified and of use to the society. Citizen participation towards good governance is important and this step — of spreading awareness to combat the fake news epidemic — will go a long way,” she said.
Thamizhachi, in her inaugural address, discussed the crucial benefits of information, fake news and violation of citizen’s right to information, the need for accountability, among other pertinent points. “The pandemic has been a test of our scientific temperament. It is a test of our progress, abilities to deal together in challenging situations and this test, requires mass public awareness,” she said.
In today’s virtual reality and AI-driven world, she pointed how reliance on digital platforms had sharply spiked. “We are constantly with our gadgets. Our memory is digitalised and we are reliant on media information. In such a scenario, campaigns such as this are the need of the hour. Our fight against misinformation can be strengthened only when we understand that not all information is knowledge and not all knowledge can be translated into wisdom. We have to sift through what is true and false. Mere tapping and forwarding of messages can cause adverse damage to the society,” she said, emphasising citizens to be watchful of misinformation as they could be detrimental in defining their decision-making process.
“As citizens, we can question, discuss and elaborate. But we have no right to spread any information which isn’t authentic. Information should be used for the betterment… False news hampers democracy by spreading fear and prejudice,” she said, making the participants aware of several reports which surfaced during the past year, about how a flood of fake news generated a disinformation pandemic, an ‘infodemic’, in addition to COVID-19. “There was cultural stigmatisation, manipulation, assaults, and deaths. It is important to make the public, friends and families aware of factual details. While the Indian government has set up a fact-checking module to fight the fake news menace, monitoring and self-regulation are also necessary. Tackling this disinformation together is important to protect democracy,” she said.
The campaign will include talks and panel discussions, outreach activities in schools, colleges and corporates and a dedicated social media drive that will spread information on tips and tricks to detect fake news and stop its spread. Visit Instagram page @saynotofakenews. mop