2296 words

Estimated reading time 6 minutes

Author | Salman Masood Anupreeta Das Pragati K. B.

Translated by | Lin Xilang

Translation Reviewers | Wang Zeyuan Liu Xingjun

Editor of This Issue | Jiang Xinyu

Reviewer of This Issue | Jiang Yi

Editor's Note

Although the recent India-Pakistan conflict has temporarily subsided, fake news has spread widely in India. Many journalists and mainstream media outlets, which were once known for their credibility, have directly fabricated false narratives. Under the backdrop of heightened nationalist sentiment, they have broadcasted unverified news, even fabricating stories to serve the interests of specific groups. This also reveals the significant influence of the current right-wing political parties in India on citizens' freedom of speech and press freedom. It is worth thinking about that, in the post-truth era, the Indian public seems to be indulging in these self-deceptive and foolish international jokes. The Indian authorities have deeply realized that the news media is a major soft power resource of a country and an important manifestation of serving the national interests of India. South Asia Research Communications specially translates this article for readers to critically refer to.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the military operation against Pakistan during a live broadcast in Mumbai. Source: Associated Press

Recent news reports have repeatedly claimed India's overwhelming victory: Indian forces attacked Pakistan's nuclear base, shot down two Pakistani fighter jets, and severely damaged Karachi Port (the lifeline of Pakistan's oil trade). Each of these reports was detailed, but none were true.

During and after the intense military confrontation between India and Pakistan, false information spread everywhere on social media. Due to the large amount of fake news, half-true statements, fake images, misleading videos, and AI-altered speeches, people near the India-Pakistan border found it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.

More worrying is that some fake news also appeared in mainstream media. This phenomenon shocked analysts who have long observed the evolution of Indian media, as these media were once trusted for their independence. During the four-day conflict, the rush to publish the first news and chauvinistic reporting reached a fever pitch, with news anchors and commentators becoming "forerunners" in the propaganda war between the two nuclear-armed countries. Some well-known television networks, under the backdrop of rising nationalism, broadcasted unverified news, even fabricating stories.

Several media outlets reported the rumor that Indian forces bombed Pakistan's nuclear base causing radiation leakage, accompanied by detailed maps showing the attack locations, but all accusations lacked evidence. Reports about the Indian Navy attacking Karachi also spread widely and were eventually proven to be fabricated information.

Sumitra Badrinathan, a political science assistant professor at a U.S. university studying misinformation in South Asia, said, "We usually think that fake news comes from anonymous netizens or robot accounts. In this case, you never know where the information comes from." During the 2019 India-Pakistan conflict, social media platforms were also flooded with misinformation. Dr. Badrinathan pointed out, "But what shocked us this time is that journalists and mainstream media institutions, which were previously known for their credibility, directly fabricated false narratives."

"Once a trustworthy source becomes a channel for producing false news, it is very scary," she added.

The fake news spread by mainstream media platforms regarding the India-Pakistan conflict is another blow to India's once vibrant journalism scene.

Shopkeepers in Jammu, India, after the India-Pakistan ceasefire. Source: The New York Times

Since the conflict began, both sides have been engaged in spreading fake news and propaganda. Mainstream news media, as part of the state machinery, cannot escape this. They report the war from the perspective favorable to their own country, and sometimes the news they release quickly turns out to be false.

However, the presence of social media has greatly increased the possibility of spreading fake news. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, freedom of speech in India has been continuously suppressed. Many news agencies, under pressure, have had to suppress news that could damage the government's reputation. Other institutions, including many large TV networks, have also started to promote government policies. (Some small independent online news publications have been pursuing more responsible news reporting, but unfortunately, the influence of these media is very limited.)

Rajdeep Sardesai, one of India's most famous news anchors and host of the India Today TV channel, recently apologized to his audience on live television for reporting the news that Pakistani fighter jets were shot down, saying that the news was "currently unconfirmed."

Later, he again apologized in his YouTube vlog, stating that some fake news was "under the guise of maintaining national interests," and was part of the deliberate false propaganda orchestrated by India's right-wing. Sometimes 24-hour news channels also fall into such traps.

Daniel Silverman, a political science assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University researching this topic, stated, "Fake news, which is maliciously spread information intended to incite, sometimes to conceal the truth, but mainly to stir up public emotions in content that is easily interactive." Dr. Silverman pointed out that given the long-standing hostile relationship between India and Pakistan, the audience tends to accept and spread any fake news.

Alt News, an independent fact-checking website in India, is dedicated to eliminating fake news on social media and mainstream media. The website has provided substantial evidence proving that television media, including well-known national channels like Aaj Tak and News18, have broadcasted a large number of fabricated news.

Pratik Sinha, one of the founders of Alt News, said, "The information ecosystem has already been compromised." Sinha said that fact-checking can counter fake news, but there is a cost. Alt News is facing a defamation lawsuit from another media organization, and its reporters have also faced some harassment.

According to Reporters Without Borders, over 200 million Indian households have televisions, and there are approximately 450 private news TV stations, making television the main source of information for Indian people.

Last week, several well-known TV stations reported that the Indian Navy attacked Karachi, Pakistan. These reports spread quickly. The words "Karachi" and "Karachi Port" became trending topics on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and pictures of dark clouds in the sky over the city due to explosions appeared on social media. Fact-checkers eventually found that these images actually came from Gaza. At a briefing after the announcement of the India-Pakistan ceasefire, the Indian Navy stated that they had prepared to attack Karachi, but ultimately did not carry out the attack.

About the Authors:

Salman Masood, a reporter for The New York Times based in Pakistan, focuses on politics, international relations, and terrorism.

Anupreeta Das, an Indian-American journalist and writer, works as a South Asia correspondent for The New York Times.

Pragati K.B., a reporter for The Times based in New Delhi, focuses on political economy.

This article is translated from an article published in The New York Times on May 17, 2025, titled "How the Indian Media Amplified Falsehoods in the Drumbeat of War". Original link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/17/world/asia/india-news-media-misinformation.html.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557030463076909602/

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