NEW DELHI: Over 265 fake news sites in more than 65 countries are managed by an “Indian influence network”, according to a study by EU DisinfoLab, an NGO that researches and tackles “sophisticated disinformation campaigns targeting the EU, its member states, core institutions and core values”. The group stated it began to study the website of a portal (eptoday.com) that calls itself a monthly news magazine for the European parliament after “we unexpectedly found a large number of articles and op-eds related to minorities in Pakistan as well as other India-related matters (on the website).” The study adds that the EU Disinformation Task Force called European External Action Service’s East StratCom had earlier busted EP Today as a “lobby group” in October, 2019. “EU DisinfoLab discovered that EP Today is managed by Indian stakeholders, with ties to a large network of think tanks, NGOs, and companies from the Srivastava Group. We … [Read more...] about ‘Indian influence group runs 265 fake news sites’
Disinformation
Manipur government gets tougher against agitations opposing Citizenship Bill
The Manipur government has firmed up its stand against the agitations opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The entire Northeast region is experiencing various forms of agitations against the Bill. Manipur Chief Secretary J. Suresh Babu issued an order on Monday instructing all government offices and educational institutes to open during the 18-hour general strike called by some organisations in the NE region from Monday midnight.However, Manipur’s Education Minister T. Radheshyam said on Monday that the Bill has no clause to hurt the interest of Manipur.Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Imphal on Monday, the Minister said that some Opposition parties had misled the people with disinformation. If it is pointed out that there are clauses against the people, the government is ready for talks.However, it is in contrast to what the Chief Minister N. Biren has been saying. He has been saying that a clause would be added to the Bill to protect the interest of … [Read more...] about Manipur government gets tougher against agitations opposing Citizenship Bill
Spotlight: World media leaders call for strengthened efforts to combat fake news
Video PlayerClose SHANGHAI, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of 13 globally renowned media organizations said here Monday that scaling up efforts to counter fake news should be a priority of the media industry. Senior executives of the media organizations from 11 countries made the remarks at the fourth meeting of the World Media Summit (WMS) presidium. Cai Mingzhao, WMS executive chairman and president of China's Xinhua News Agency, said fake news poses challenges to journalism ethics. The popularization of the Internet has lowered the professional threshold of information dissemination, he said, adding "this change has greatly expanded the pool of information, yet it has blurred the line between fact and fiction." Noting there is no effective mechanism to strengthen cooperation and jointly crack down on fake news, Cai suggested that the summit focus on this issue and create a broader synergy in fighting against fake news. Jim Kennedy, senior vice president of the Associated Press, said … [Read more...] about Spotlight: World media leaders call for strengthened efforts to combat fake news
Sri Lanka’s presidential polls largely fair: EU election monitors:
Video PlayerClose COLOMBO, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM), which deployed over 80 foreign observers to monitor Sri Lanka's presidential elections, concluded that the elections on Saturday had been held peacefully, largely free of violence, a statement said Monday. Presenting the mission's preliminary statement in Colombo, the chief observer of the EU EOM, Marisa Matias, said that while the campaign on the ground was largely peaceful and calm, the playing field in the traditional and online media, however, was affected by instances of bias, hate speech and disinformation. "The participation of Sri Lankans was very high. This was their day to exercise their right to democratic choice, and I hope that our observation has in some way contributed to their confidence in the process," Matias said. Head of a delegation of Members of the European Parliament, Isabel Santos, said it was very moving to see Sri Lankans side by side exercising their … [Read more...] about Sri Lanka’s presidential polls largely fair: EU election monitors:
