Weaponisation of disinformation
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By Saba Chaudhry
Media should play an important role during conflicts, but the recent India and Pakistan clashes illustrate how media can undermine journalistic integrity.
In early May 2025, the two nuclear powers exchanged air strikes and cross-border fire after a terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Within hours, a flood of fake news surfaced on the nights of the 8th and 9th of May, misleading the public and spreading panic across the borders of India and Pakistan. The spread on social media of conspiracy theories, unverified information, and doctored videos and images did not just create fear but also raised serious questions globally about the critical role of media in conflict.
A wave of disinformation
Some of the examples of the media promoting false narratives include a video which was falsely suggested to show India striking Pakistan. The same video was first reported by the media in October 2023, showing Israeli attacks on Gaza. Fact-checkers from India and Pakistan said that, surprisingly, most of the mainstream TV news channels aired the old footage from Gaza. Similarly, several TV news channels in India ran a story about the Indian Navy attacking Karachi. ‘’The ...Read more
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