Pal: Conversations and questioning can combat disinformation in India elections

For several weeks before the recent February elections, voters in India were swarmed with a large-scale misinformation campaign.

The Express Tribune reports that top officials of India's ruling Hindu nationalist party, along with an army of its supporters, bombarded voters with disinformation as key states went to the polls. Pooja Chaudhari, editor of fact-checking site Alt News, said the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) made false claims that their rival party is pro-Muslim, pro-Pakistan and anti-Hindu. These conclusions were supported by the work of a number of fact-checking organizations. 

Cheap cell phones and data plans paired with many first-time internet users makes India a fertile ground for misinformation. Platforms like WhatsApp can disseminate information to large swaths of the country, and all major parties take advantage of the technology.

Joyojeet Pal, associate professor at University of Michigan School of Information, says that the deferential social structure in India fosters the spread of misinformation. However, he says when “there is a conversation about it, as opposed to default acceptance," people can challenge misinformation campaigns.

Read “India's Hindu nationalist BJP leads in disinformation race,” on tribune.com.pk.

Learn more about Associate Professor Joyojeet Pal.