Media Watch

Rumours are doing rounds on social media that wearing face masks can cause fungal and bacterial pneumonia. On June 19, a Florida congressional candidate posted a tweet claiming that wearing face masks could lead to pneumonia. “Excessive use of face masks causes fungal and bacterial pneumonia,” wrote Jessi Melton, a conservative business owner who is running to represent Florida’s 22nd...

A video of a copper vessel with a letter, which is claimed to have been excavated from the Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, has gone viral on social media. Several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and supporters shared the 28-second video social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook claiming that a copper vessel has been recovered from the Ram Janmabhoomi excavation site and contains a letter...

In the wake of Saudi Arabia's assurance that Masjid al-Haram of Makkah and Masjid an-Nabawi of Madinah will be opened for believers after some days, a message has gone viral on social media claiming that both the holy mosques will open on Ramadan 8 (May 1). The message which was widely circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp, also contained certain condition such as people should fetch their own...

Riyadh, Sept 19: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday displayed remnants of what it described as Iranian drones and cruise missiles used in an attack on Saudi oil facilities, saying they were "undeniable" evidence of Iranian aggression. A total of 25 drones and missiles were launched at two oil plants in last weekend's strikes, including Iranian Delta Wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and "Ya Ali" cruise...

Bengaluru, Apr 17: In an apparent attempt to mislead and polarize Hindu community on the eve of Apr 18 Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka BJP’s official Twitter handle posted fake letter accusing State Home Minister M B Patil and former Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi of trying to “divide Hindu religion for political gain”. Shocked over the fake later dating back to 2017, which was in his name, Mr Patil...

Newsroom, Mar 12: Enraged by the detergent brand Surf Excel’s latest advertisement which promotes Hindu-Muslim communal amity, dozens of online Hindutva activists have mistakenly taken revenge against software giant Microsoft’s Excel. The ad that promotes Surf Excel’s ‘Daag acche hai’ campaign has also divided social media. While some people are praising Surf Excel for the advertisement, the ad...

New Delhi, Jan 18: Come January 26, new news television channels and a weekly newspaper will add to the ever growing list of players in the Indian media space. Republic Bharat, a Hindi offering from Arnab Goswami's stable, will debut on Republic Day. Ahead of its launch, the channel has launched a new campaign ‘Poochta Hai Bharat', aimed at establishing it as a movement to fight for real causes...

Newsroom, Dec 29: A pro-Sangh Parivar journalist, who had earned the wrath of Muslim community in Karnataka by making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, has tendered an apology publicly. Ajit Hanumakkanavar, a Kannada journalist, who appears on Suvarna News Kannada TV channel, during a debate, had unwarrantedly hurled offensive remarks against whom Muslims believe the God’s final...

Newsroom, Nov 15: The mainstream media in Karnataka has once again toed the Sangh Parivar line and showed its unwavering loyalty and unconditional allegiance to the self-proclaimed saviours of Hindutva by unhesitatingly twisting the facts in the case of arrest of a Kannada journalist, who had allegedly made offensive remarks against Prophet Muhammad at an event in communally sensitive Kodagu...

London, Nov 13: People in India share fake news stories with nationalistic messages for "nation-building" purposes without any attempt at fact-checking a report, according to a BBC research released on Monday. The findings come from extensive research in India, Kenya, and Nigeria into the way ordinary citizens engage with and spread fake news, the British public broadcaster said. According to the...