WebQoof Recap: Of ‘Modi Chants’ in Pak & COVID-19 Misinformation

Here’s a quick recap of all that misled the public this week.

(Photo: The Quint)

From false news reports on ‘Modi Chants’ raised in Pakistan’s Parliament to misinformation on WHO’s guidelines on the coronavirus, here’s a quick recap of all that misled the public this week.

1. India TV, OpIndia Falsely Claim ‘Modi Chants’ Raised in Pak Parl

Mainstream media outlets, including India TV, Times Now, and right-wing website OpIndia, shared a clip of sloganeering in Pakistan’s Parliament to claim that several MPs raised “Modi... Modi” chants in the house.

However, a careful analysis of the clips revealed that this is a misleading claim. Pakistan MPs were actually shouting “Voting, voting...” and not “Modi, Modi” as claimed by the media portals.

You can read our fact-check here.

2. Video Riddled With COVID-19 Misinformation is Not By WHO Doctors

Social media is abuzz with a video of doctors claiming that “COVID-19 is a normal flu virus” and the world is no longer dealing with a pandemic.

In a 4-minute-long viral clip the doctors make several unsubstantiated claims which is now being circulated by users claiming that these are WHO doctors who have taken a complete “U-turn” on their finding about the novel coronavirus.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

However, we found that the doctors seen in the video are not affiliated with the World Health Organisation (WHO). They are a group of healthcare professionals who call themselves the World Doctors Alliance and the claims made by them in the video are false and misleading.

You can read our fact-check here.

3. US Elections: Tech Giants Are Trying to Avoid a Repeat of 2016

In an attempt to avoid a repeat of the 2016 election fiasco, tech giants including Facebook and Twitter have introduced a host of measures to curb the spread of fake news and disinformation on their platforms ahead of the 3 November polls in the United States.

These steps range from encouraging voter participation to rooting out false information, banning political advertisements and introducing new labelling systems.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

We spoke to experts covering cyberspace and disinformation ecosystem who suggested that while the efforts by these tech companies to create friction between the source of misinformation and users to slow down the spread of fake news should be appreciated, but there are legitimate concerns regarding these efforts being “potentially too little and certainly too late.”

You can read the full story here.

4. Morphed Image Used To Claim IAF Mocked Pak Over Balakot Deaths

A viral image of a Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet is being shared with the claim that the Indian Air Force has used symbols to mock Pakistan’s claim that only “4 trees and one crow” were the casualties in the Balakot airstrike that happened in February 2019.

However, we found that the viral image is photoshopped and the original image does not show any such symbols on the said fighter jet.

(Source: Facebook/ Screenshot)

You can read our fact-check here.

5. Protest Outside France Prez’s House? No, Video is From Germany

An old video from Germany has been revived by social media users with the claim that it shows people protesting in front of France President Emmanuel Macron’s house.

The video actually shows demonstration held in January against the alleged suppression of the Uyghurs ethnic group in China.

(Source: Facebook/ Screenshot)

You can read our fact-check here.

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