Alt News
 |
| Industry | Media |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | Pratik Sinha |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | India |
| Products | Web portal |
| Website | www |
AltNews.in is an India based propaganda and fact-checking website supported by NDTV and run by ex-software engineer Pratik Sinha and two other anonymous people. The website was launched on February 9, 2017 to combat fake news. The founders have compiled a list of more than 40 fake news sites and most of them are related to the right-wing ideology.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Content
Other than busting the fake news, the portal covers important news items that are often left out by the mainstream media or get little coverage. They are related to politics, society, news, education, religion and science. The web portal doesn’t publish opinions. Moreover, Mukul Sinha, father of founder who fought for 2002 riot, succumbs to cancer [3]
Notable work
Following investigative stories by Alt News got the media coverage:
- Expose of Hindu right wing fake news website[8]
- A video of beheading of Indian soldiers by Pakistan army was being circulated. Alt News came up with the truth.[7]
- A video of Hindu man being lynched by Muslims in Bihar was being circulated. After investigation, it was found to be from Bangladesh.[7][9]
- Guatemalan video featuring a girl being burnt alive was passed on as an incident of a Marwari girl married to a Muslim man being burnt to death for not wearing a burqah.[9]
- Expose of François Gautier's column in the Times of India in which he spoke of discovery of some papers related to Nostradamus that mentioned about a Hindu leader like Narendra Modi.[9]
- Indian home ministry used a photograph of Morocco's border with the Spanish territory to show that it had installed floodlights in the border areas. This claim was debunked by Alt News.[10][11]
Recognition
Pratik Sinha was invited to Google News Lab Asia-Pacific Summit 2017 in Singapore to discuss potential solutions to fake news.[7]
Threat
Soon after the website was launched, Sinha received a threatening call from gangster Ravi Pujari and was asked to stop writing or else he will be shot dead. [12]
Problem of fake news in India
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (July 2017) |
The social media platforms have become mainstream to spread fake news. Whatsapp has around 200 million users in India. [3] There are few instances in which rumours proved fatal. For an instance, lynching of seven people in Jharkhand.[13] Fake news on social media sites fanned passions in violence-hit Saharanpur, prompting the government to withdraw internet services. In Kashmir, messages about atrocities by security forces have fuelled violence. In troubled times, it is not easy to confirm – or deny – a post being shared as news. The Kashmir bus accident story, for instance, even stumped the police who took hours to check the report because of a breakdown in telephone lines. Many people have spoken about the dangers of fake news and mindset of people behind it. Mumbai based psychologist said, “In an angst driven world, the power of suggestion is very strong. People are gullible enough to believe anything that sounds close to the truth.”[3] According to Sevanti Ninan, founder of media watchdog portal, The Hoot, fake news iteams are created to hurt someone’s reputation. The rumours are mostly driven by political propaganda and the content is tweaked to incite hatred or violence. [3]
Legal stand
According to cyber law expert and Supreme Court lawyer Pawan Duggal, the offence is of low priority for police. In the Indian IT Act, there are no direct provisions against people who spread fake news. The person can be charged under IPC Section 468.[3]
References
- ^ News Laundry
- ^ How Alt News is trying to take on the fake news ecosystem in India
- ^ a b c d e f Fake news in the time of the internet
- ^ 10 Instances That Show A Fake News Explosion Is Taking Place In India, Huffington Post.
- ^ EXPOSING PROPAGANDA: PRATIK SINHA, Sbcltr.
- ^ Breaking fake news, The Times of India.
- ^ a b c d On the origin of specious news
- ^ Inside the world of Hindu right wing fake news website DainikBharat.org, Hindustan Times.
- ^ a b c What the Indian Media Can Learn From the Global War on Fake News
- ^ India ministry mocked for 'appropriating' Spain border, BBC News.
- ^ Border lights illuminate a Moroccan mockery, The Telegraph.
- ^ News website owner gets threat call from ‘gangster’, The Indian Express.
- ^ Two Arrests, Protests Follow After WhatsApp Rumours Lead to Lynching of Seven in Jharkhand, The Wire.
 | This article needs additional or more specific categories. (July 2017) |