Fact-Checking Election Misinformation & the ‘Shakti’ of Collaboration
WebQoof contributed over 300 fact-checks in Hindi and English during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Dear Reader,
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Google News Initiative (GNI) launched Project Shakti — India Election Fact-Checking Collective, a collaboration which brought together news organisations and fact-checkers to tackle mis/disinformation over the course of the world's largest elections.
Partnering with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA), Boom, Factly, Vishvas News, Newschecker, and The Quint, news publishers had access to fact-checks by leading newsrooms, distributing and amplifying over 6,000 debunks across languages and states.
The Quint's WebQoof contributed with over 300 fact-checks in Hindi and English. Since March, these fact-checks have been republished and translated into a range of regional languages, including Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, and Kannada.
During the seven phases of polling, we saw viral disinformation surrounding the Congress manifesto, with some of the claims coming from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress Will Not Confiscate Peoples’ Property, PM Modi’s Claim Is False!
The prime minister was also subjected to misinformation, with an altered photo of his estranged wife being shared to mock the Bharatiya Janata Party's slogan 'Modi Ki Guarantee'.
Altered Image of Jashodaben Modi Shared To Mock BJP's 'Modi Ki Guarantee' Slogan
The media, too, played a part in the spread of misinformation. On several occasions, they published reports with misleading headlines, unverified, and factually incorrect statements. Read our analysis here.
How Media Outlets Amplified Fake Claims Made by Leaders During Election Speeches
Artificial Intelligence found a mention in this misinformation when BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya claimed that an authentic video of one of its candidates was a 'deepfake'.
Amit Malviya Calls Real Video of BJP’s Dinesh Lal Yadav’s Byte a ‘Deepfake'
Social media users continued to share misinformation even after polling concluded and the election's results were announced. Team WebQoof has continued to debunk claims surrounding votes, parties' vote share, and election margins.
Claim About BJP’s Vote Share Increasing in 2024 Polls Compared to 2019 Is False
What our co-founder, Ritu Kapur, had to say about the project —
Cheers!
ABHILASH MALLICK
Editor, Fact-Check (WebQoof)
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