Editors Guild of India condemns arrest of AltNews co-founder Muhammad Zubair

New Delhi, June 28

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Tuesday condemned the arrest of Muhammad Zubair, co-founder of the fact checking site AltNews, by the Delhi police on June 27, for a tweet from 2018.

The EGI demanded the immediate release of Muhammad Zubair.

A press statement signed by EGI president Seema Mustafa, general secretary Sanjay Kapoor and treasurer Anant Nath said AltNews did some exemplary work over the past few years in identifying fake news and countering disinformation campaigns in a very objective and factual manner.

“It was an exposure of toxic remarks by a ruling party spokesperson on a tv channel that allowed the party to make amends. It is apparent that AltNews’ alert vigilance was resented by those who use disinformation as a tool to polarise the society and rake nationalistic sentiments,” the EGI statement added.