FACT-CHECKERS ON THE WEB Warriors Have Arrived Akhilesh Patil*

In an era when distrust of their messages. And as social is also to blame for propagating politicians and democratic media transforms itself into . Print and institutions is shaping voter a real source of information, television media have been choices, fact-checking seems this toxic mixture of , accused ad nauseam about to be the accountability rumours, conspiracy theories compromising the accuracy of mechanism everyone is reaching and misleading news reaches their reportage. It is this gap in out to. According to a survey the farthest corners of the credible information across both by Reporters’ Lab, a centre globe. Despite social media mainstream and non-traditional for journalism research in the platforms drawing most of the media that fact checking outfits Sanford School of Public Policy can plug. They can help citizens flak for lacking editorial filtration at Duke University, the number access facts and help empower mechanisms, traditional media of active fact-checking projects democracy in an intensely around the world now stands at Despite social media polarised political environment. 156. Its steady growth is driven

by expanding networks and new platforms drawing Most social media platforms media partnerships that focus most of the flak for have already stepped up their

“ game by focusing on a medley on holding public figures and lacking editorial of technologies to curtail the organisations accountable for filtration mechanisms, 1 spread of lies and hoaxes. Media what they say. “ traditional media organisations too are making Worldwide political organisations is also to blame efforts to stay close to ethical have been using ‘’ as for propagating and journalistic standards, and an effective tool to propagate misinformation. coming up with fact checking

*Akhilesh is a Trainee Research Executive at Common Cause.

COMMON CAUSE | Vol. XXXVII No. 4 October-December, 2018 | 17 units in their existing model of FactChecker SM HoaxSlayer operations. (FactChecker.in) (SMHoaxSlayer.com) ’s Crusade Against India’s first dedicated This was among policy and data fact- the earlier crop of Fake News checking initiative, factchecker. fact-checking initiatives from In India, in 2018 alone, at least in was started by television India. Concerned about the 25 people have been lynched and print journalist Govindraj increasing stream of incorrect or beaten to death over a fake Ethiraj. Founder Editor-in-Chief and malicious information, WhatsApp message.2 Growing of Bloomberg TV India, Ethiraj mainly on WhatsApp, Mumbai- internet penetration, low has vast experience in the field based businessman Pankaj Jain, level of media literacy and of business, policy and new decided to do something about rapidly decreasing credibility media. Factchecker.in is an it. He was so impressed by the of traditional media have initiative of the Spending and Australia-based internet scam debunking website -Slayer compounded the problem, Policy Research Foundation, a that he tried to replicate the triggering the process of ‘fact- charitable trust which also runs model in the Indian context by checking.’ People who had indiaspend.org, India’s first data starting his own initiative – ‘SM started fact-checking out journalism initiative. The other (social media) HoaxSlayer’ in of genuine concern have main patrons of the trust are August 2015.3 now turned it into a serious Rohini Nilekani, Vikram Lal, profession. For instance, Pirojsha Godrej Foundation While it started out as just a Govindraj Ethiraj’s factchecker. (philanthropic arm of the Godrej page, it gradually in began as a small team, which group) and the Independent expanded into a standalone debunked lies on mainly policy- and Public-Spirited Media website and currently has related issues. Later in 2016 he Foundation (IPSMF). presence in other media started BOOMLive, a dedicated Since early 2013, FactChecker platforms like , YouTube, and independent fact-checking has been scrutinising statements Instagram, Pintrest, Tumblr, initiative. Similarly, Shammas made by individuals in public life LinkedIn etc. Jain uses data from government sources and other Oliyath started Check4spam as as well as important policy data, media outlets to bust fake news. a WordPress site in 2015. At researching them for veracity present, Check4spam has its and context. However, it was in Although no clear information is own website and is looking for 2014 that it started its dedicated available regarding its funding, collaborations to improve its fact-checking unit as a separate the website is monetised and functioning. website. This was the first Indian donations from individuals are website to be certified by the sought. Though the number of dedicated International Fact-Checking fact-checking initiatives is still Network (IFCN) - Poynter Check4spam smaller in India than the rest Institute, but the certificate of the world, it is important to (check4spam.com) recently expired on November 9, In 2015, the chaos understand their ownership 2018. patterns, business models and generated owing to a forwarded fake message overall functioning. Here is a It is run by a small team of 12 – bothered Shammas Oliyath, lowdown on some of India’s 15 people which includes policy a Bengaluru based software prominent fact-checking researchers, journalists and data engineer. He eventually started initiatives: analysts.

18 | October-December, 2018 COMMON CAUSE | Vol. XXXVII No. 4 a WordPress blog to list out info-graphics using data from span has debunked a such spam messages. Later, official sources, that is either bevy of lies chiefly disseminated Balkrishn Birla, an engineering available in the public domain by politicians, popular media graduate from IIT Kanpur and or accessed using tools such as outlets and opinion leaders. a tech entrepreneur joined the the RTI. It also fact-checks data A large proportion of its overall self-funded initiative. Eventually, from social media platforms and fact-checked data exposes lies the duo launched check4spam. media organisations. It received of individuals and organisations com, a dedicated fact-checking the certificate from IFCN on associated with the right wing website in August 2015.4 November 21, 2018. ideology, and the outfit often Check4spam mainly deals with Factly is a for-profit entity faces criticism for the same. spams on social media platforms registered as ‘Factly Media Altnews’ founder has even faced like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Research,’ which runs its death threats for running the Twitter etc. It has a WhatsApp operation mainly with the help website.6 However, the fact- number where people can send of project grants, consulting checking outfit’s work has been content for verification, and or research assignments and widely appreciated by experts, it receives approximately 150 subscriptions. while its founder was invited to requests in a day. The roles of News Lab Asia-Pacific the website founders are clearly Alt news Summit 2017 in Singapore to demarcated. Both Oliyath and (www.altnews.in) discuss solutions to the fake news 7 Birla are working professionals Pratik Sinha, an menace. and spend two to three hours engineer and AltNews.in is the initiative of a a day on the site, with Oliyath activist started Altnews.in not-for-profit company called handling the research and Birla in February 2017, with the Pravda Media Foundation. taking care of the technology. objective of myth-busting as well Therefore, it depends entirely on as debunking misreporting in Though Check4spam is currently donations and grants for its work, . Sinha is also a self-funded initiative, it has which primarily revolves around a member of Gujarat-based civil opted for Google’s advertising checking the veracity of facts. rights organisation Jan Sangharsh platform to help maintain the Recently, IPSMF has provided Manch, founded by his late website. financial support to the website father, senior advocate Mukul for reporting and publishing In order to avoid duplication and Sinha and mother, trade union stories of public interest. In the increase efficiency, the website is leader Nirjhari Sinha. financial year 2017-18 it has planning to team up with other Credited with debunking also received donations from like-minded units from across the all types of misinformation, Zindabad Trust, managed by 8 country.5 and mal- writer-activist . information from social and Factly Presently, Alt news has expanded mainstream media, Alt news its team and recently launched (Factly.in) has emerged as a watchdog of its Hindi edition. Factly is a public the news space. In addition to information portal fact-checking, it also covers news BOOM founded by Rakesh Dubbudu, ignored by mainstream media (www.boomlive.in) public information and data such as caste-based atrocities, Boom is an enthusiast. It puts out mainly discrimination, labour struggles independent digital public interest stories and and much more. In a very short journalism initiative by Govindraj

COMMON CAUSE | Vol. XXXVII No. 4 October-December, 2018 | 19 Ethiraj, also the founder of centre-right ideology. It was of articles criticising BBC’s factchecker.in. However, unlike launched in December 2014 research on Fact-checker.in, BOOM is a part by Kumar Kunal Kamal, an and questioning the credibility of of Ping Digital Network, a private academician and his friends. its findings.11 limited company. It forms the OpIndia’s team also includes news division of the network Gaurav as well as Rahul Raj Very recently, Fact Crescendo, an and has been in existence since who runs the popular Facebook independent digital journalism 2014. BOOM Live started its page ‘Bhak Sala.’ Today the initiative founded by Vinod Rathi operation as a full-fledged fact- portal is owned by Kovai Media has also started its operations checking initiative in November which also operates the right- in ‘fact-checking’ business. It 2016, and is one of the first leaning Swarajya magazine. An also received IFCN certificate in two fact checking websites investor in Kovai Media is former October 2018. (Factchecker.in was the first) Infosys director and Manipal in the country that have been Global Education Chairman T. V. Some Other Initiatives certified by International Fact- Mohandas Pai. As of March 31, Apart from these dedicated fact- Checking Network (IFCN). 2017, Pai held 39,786 shares, checking initiatives, traditional Interestingly, Ethiraj, one of representing a little above three media organisations have also the founders of BOOM and per cent stake in the company.10 started coming up with their own Factchecker.in, is also one of the ‘fact-checking’ units. Recently, The website also runs a board members of IFCN.. TV Today group started its fact-checking initiative that dedicated fact-checking division BOOM mainly monitors content extensively debunks media lies called India Today Fact Check. on traditional as well as social and popular personalities who Though it is part of the TV Today media, along with statements often criticise the Network, it is independent of by politicians and people in led-BJP government. OpIndia is the editorial operations of India position of authority. It also has the only fact-checking website Today. Digital news platform a WhatsApp number where that Prime Minister Narendra NewsMobile also has its own fact people can send content for fact- Modi follows on Twitter, along checking division called NM Fact checking. with its editor. Checker. These fact-checking Facebook had hired fact- The website received widespread initiatives started by established checking services from BOOM attention from several national media organisations fulfilled during the Karnataka assembly as well as international media all the necessary criteria and elections in 2018. After a organisations when its editor managed to get IFCN certificates successful pilot venture, it has Nupur J. Sharma wrote a series in 2018. now expanded its partnership with the digital truth-telling Likes, Followers and Subscribers of Fact-Checking Websites website to provide fact-checking Fact-checkers Facebook Twitter YouTube services in Hindi and Bengali, as Factchecker.in 1,639 32,735 -- well as for photos and videos. 9 SMHoaxSlayer 66,923 50,451 12,511 Opindia AltNews 1,05,656 89,384 30,952 (www..com) BOOMLive 3,13,414 29,010 17,581 OpIndia is a news Check4Spam 40,422 932 -- and current affairs Factly 93,130 2,383 15,665 website that’s hugely popular Opindia 1,25,227 96,440 6,032 with those affiliated with the As of December 5, 2018

20 | October-December, 2018 COMMON CAUSE | Vol. XXXVII No. 4 any journalistic experience however have shared nitty- Some of these and have started fact-checking gritties about their organisations.

myth-busters have owing to sheer disappointment Websites like FactChecker.in, openly admitted in the representation of facts in AltNews.in and BOOMLive have

“their ideological mainstream narratives. Social disclosed details of their business media is a fertile ground for fake model, ownership and annual inclinations and their news and fast-growing internet funding on their websites. Each fact-checking revolves“ proliferation is making the one has a different business around certain information landscape acquire a model, with some functioning individuals and media nightmarish quality. To lock horns as charitable trusts and running with purveyors of fake news, their operations on donations. organisations fact-checkers are using the same There are others who are purely social media platforms where dependent on subscriptions and Popular YouTube celebrities a deluge of misinformation, online ad revenue as means of like Dhruv Rathee and Akash rumour-mongering, political support. Still others are using Banerjee also occasionally and urban legends online crowd funding platforms engage in fact-checking continue to thrive. These digital to cover their costs, whereas a initiatives through their videos, votaries of truth are therefore few run their operations as a while enjoying a huge following constantly monitoring and private media company where on all popular social media identifying a surging stream of not much is known about their platforms. Interestingly, 24-year- online falsehoods and countering main investors. old Rathee has more than 12 them using several techniques. lakh subscribers on YouTube A big limitation for them, Sustaining on the merits alone, along with more than however, is their low number of of accuracy, reliability and 4 lakh and nearly 1.5 lakh subscriptions. transparency is undoubtedly the followers on Facebook and biggest challenge for all these Twitter respectively. After a Although the process of fact- initiatives. As far as the process decade-long stint in journalism, checking demands a completely of debunking is concerned, most Banerjee started his own non-partisan approach, some of these fact-checkers follow a YouTube channel which now has of these myth-busters have similar method. Several of them, over 2 lakh subscribers. He also openly admitted their ideological such as Alt News and Factly, does a weekly show Fake Bole inclinations. Additionally, their have even mentioned it on Kauwa Kate for Times of India. fact-checking procedures revolve their respective websites. While Both work independently and around certain individuals and nearly all of them more or less do their research and production media organisations. pass the accuracy and reliability on their own. They use crowd test, the problem revolves

Most of these ambassadors around the issue of transparency. funding initiatives like Patreon to of accountability journalism run their businesses. Transparency is imperative, both in funding as well as in

Conclusion Transparency is the overall approach in tackling imperative, both in the issue of fake news. In an We have witnessed the genesis of “ age where the media is flooded many independent fact-checking funding as well as in with debates on right versus left, initiatives in India in the last the overall approach “ pro-establishment versus anti- couple of years. Barring a few in tackling the issue of establishment, the fact-checking exceptions, individuals running organisations need to walk a these websites do not possess fake news tightrope and be impeccable and

COMMON CAUSE | Vol. XXXVII No. 4 October-December, 2018 | 21 transparent in their work to be 4 Shekhar, D. (2017, February 22). ‘In 8 Manish, S. (2018, April 7). ‘Right vs able to brace for tougher future a Post-Truth World, ‘Check4Spam’ Wrong: Arundhati Roy, Mohandas Pai Can Help You Sift Fake News.’ Funding Rake News Busters.’ Business challenges. Economic Times. Retrieved December Standard. Retrieved December 5, 5, 2018, from https://economictimes. 2018, from https://www.business- Endnotes indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/ standard.com/article/current-affairs/ in-a-post-truth-world-check4spam- right-vs-wrong-arundhati-roy- 1 Stencel, M (2018, August 7). ‘The can-help-you-sift-fake-news/ mohandas-pai-funding-fake-news- number of fact-checkers around the articleshow/57287228.cms. busters-118040600594_1.html. world: 156… and growing.’ Reporters’ Lab. Retrieved December 18, 2018, 5 Bhat, A. (2017, March 20). ‘Finding 9 ‘Facebook Expands Partnership with from https://reporterslab.org/the- Truth in the Haystack of Forwards.’ BOOM Live to Spot Fake News.’ number-of-fact-checkers-around-the- The Hindu. Retrieved December 5, (2018, August 2). Times of India. world-156-and-growing/ 2018, from https://www.thehindu. Retrieved December 5, 2018, from com/sci-tech/technology/internet/ https://timesofindia.indiatimes. 2 Rebelo, K. (2018, December 17). finding-truth-in-the-haystack-of- com/business/india-business/ ‘Inside WhatsApp’s battle against forwards/article17527976.ece. facebook-expands-partnership- misinformation in India.’ Poynter. with-boom-live-to-spot-fake-news/ 6 ‘Mukul Sinha’s Son Gets Threat articleshow/65244247.cms. org. Retrieved December 18, 2018, Call from ‘Pujari’.’ (2017, March from https://www.poynter.org/fact- 11). Times of India. Retrieved 10 Id. at 8 checking/2018/inside-whatsapps- December 5, 2018, from https:// battle-against-misinformation-in-india/ timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ 11 See Sharma, N.J. (2018, November city//mukul-sinhas- 15). ‘The BBC Research on ‘Fake 3 Sinha, D. (2017, January 14). ‘In an son-gets-threat-call-from-pujari/ News’ is Shoddy, Unethical, era of fake news, check out India’s articleshow/57583310.cms Dishonest, and Actually an Example homegrown Hoax Slayer.’ Hindustan of Fake News.’ OpIndia. Retrieved Times. Retrieved December 5, 2018, 7 Sengupta, S. (2017, July 2). ‘On the December 5, 2018, from https:// from https://www.hindustantimes. Origin of Specious News.’ The Hindu. www.opindia.com/2018/11/the-bbc- com/more-lifestyle/in-an-era-of- Retrieved December 5, 2018, from research-on-fake-news-is-shoddy- fake-news-check-out-india-s- https://www.thehindu.com/society/ unethical-dishonest-and-actually-an- homegrown-hoax-slayer/story- on-the-origin-of-specious-news/ example-of-fake-news/. article19184953.ece. zyonebYJ4ApaOxABOybvSN.html

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