India has been a victim of fake news for quite some time now, which seems like a state sponsored campaign. It is visible by the way in which the corporate media which is ruled by the politics of the government, runs with these fake stories. The fake news is propagated as real news, by their Members of Parliaments as well. This might not look big, but the reach the right-wing has, through their troll pages, WhatsApp groups and mainly the corporate News Channels is huge. It becomes a tool for opinion generation, which is false and is based on lies.
By using photographs stolen from irrelevant stories and sources, photoshopping them to fit the false narrative, India is generating fake news to show the Rohingya Muslims as terrorists and killers, while in reality there is absolutely zero ‘evidence’ for it and evidence is the key word here. News is based on legitimate sources, evidence and not on fake, photoshopped propaganda. The problem I have with these is the way people from all the sections of the society, form their opinions based on this fake news which is nothing but an assault against Rohingya Muslims. It is then no longer limited to the followers of the Government of the party in power, but it forces people who have no knowledge, understanding of the issue to make an opinion which is nothing but hateful and they become victims of this propaganda. These fake claims and stories add fuel to not only to hate campaign against the Rohingya’s, but, also charge up anti-Muslim and anti-Kashmir sentiments. It also undermines any effort the international community might put in putting an end to Myanmar’s program of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.
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