By Ranjona Banerji
The spread of fake news by other agencies is something we discussed last week. What about the spread of fake news by news outlets themselves?
At the edge of social media has been this raging fight over migrant workers from Bihar being beaten up in Tamil Nadu for speaking Hindi.
Videos and allegations flying up and down. Political statements. Outrage and all the rest of what happens when such information makes the news.
Given the tensions in India’s North-South social and cultural divide, any aggravation can be dangerous and disruptive. Which of course is the underlying intention.
The choice of Tamil Nadu and Bihar is interesting – and glaringly obvious – from a political perspective. Neither state is within the current “double engine” model of the BJP government at the Centre. One is setting itself up as an alternative force, the other is a rage-inducing renegade.
The problem here is that the source of the misinformation appears to have been a mainstream media organisation. The Tamil Nadu police have filed a case against the Dainik Bhaskar, a BJP leader and a Twitter handle for spreading misinformation.
https://thewire.in/politics/tn-police-files-case-against-dainik-bhaskar-bjp-leader-for-misinformation-on-migrants-attacked
Of course, news outlets have in the past misunderstood spoof videos, mistaken war game shows for real life wars and many other such misdemeanours. You might be kind and argue they were misled, they didn’t do enough checks and due diligence, they were careless and stupid.
But not in this case. When the result was to create massive social disturbance along an existing faultline, then excuses are hard to come by.
https://theprint.in/india/call-with-bihar-cm-hindi-statements-tamil-nadu-govt-in-damage-control-mode-over-attacks-on-migrants/1418469/
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-editorials/beating-fake-news-tamil-nadu-and-bihar-governments-show-how-dangerous-social-media-rumours-can-be-swiftly-countered/
So various other media houses – with a large North Indian reach – have jumped into to assuage tensions.
The Times of India edit provides insights into how people can stop lies from spreading. But it does not acknowledge the role played by the mainstream media itself in taking a bad situation and making it worse. It also does not acknowledge the role of the particular political party which aggravated the lies and tried to make political capital out of it. We all understand that we need to check before we spread information. But the responsibility for the media is much larger than it is for the general public.
Thus, we reach that significant meeting point of deliberate mischief and manipulation. This is where individual politicians and parties need to be called out for their involvement in spreading disharmony. Instead we have elements within media houses either deliberately inciting anger, or inciting anger to take advantage of it.
This is not sensationalism. This is using lies to benefit yourself or someone else.
If we within the media do not call out such behaviour, it only gets further institutionalised. It also makes it very difficult for the media to hold governments to account when they try to suppress freedom of expression. And increasingly, this is the issue that we face. Actual journalists who do actual work bear the brunt of government anger.
TV anchors take their mummies and sisters to meet their most beloved political leaders.
Happy Holi!
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal