Fighting the infodemic

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres observed last week that the coronavirus pandemic had unleashed a tsunami of hate and xenophobia. Though he didn’t name the countries adversely affected by the infodemic – the rampant spread of malicious misinformation and fake news on social media – there is no gainsaying that the menace has assumed alarming proportions in India. The Muslim community has been the target of a no-holds-barred vilification campaign ever since the Tablighi Jamaat’s mid-March congregation in Delhi emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot. An audio clip, in which the Markaz Nizamuddin head is purportedly heard telling Jamaat members to ignore social distancing norms and prohibitory orders, has been making the rounds over the past several weeks. This clip, whose authenticity has now come under a cloud, was mentioned in a report uploaded by the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) — a Union Home Ministry think tank —- on its website on Saturday. The report, which intended to guide law-enforcement agencies on spotting and investigating fake news, was removed next day under opaque circumstances. The BPR&D claims that corrections are being made in the document, but the controversy has brought under scrutiny the Centre’s commitment to contain the communal virus.

Days after Lockdown 1.0 was enforced, the Supreme Court had dubbed panic and fear as bigger problems than the pandemic itself. States such as Maharashtra, the worst-hit in the country in terms of Covid-positive patients, have been registering cases against people allegedly spreading rumours, misinformation and fake news. Some social media platforms have been raising awareness among the digital community about the creation and sharing of falsehoods. However, inadequate checks and balances and lack of synergy among the stakeholders have emboldened the mischief mongers and rabble rousers to keep adding fuel to the fire.

The Centre needs to lead from the front here as well. Transparency holds the key to conducting the exercise of separating the truth, even if it’s inconvenient to the ruling dispensation, from all the lies and half-truths. The authorities should keep all communication channels open so that people are not misled by anti-social elements who feed on mistrust and hatred.