| Fact-Checking Segregation • Fake – any factually incorrect news, content, or, piece of information related to the Government of India, spread intentionally or unintentionally, that can deceive or manipulate the audience, with or without the intention to cause potential harm, can be flagged as Fake. • Misleading – any information presented, either partially true or with selective presentation of facts or figures or with distortion of facts or figures and with the intention of deceiving or misleading the recipient of the information. • True: any information that is found to be factually correct after investigation |
- Defending the formation of a fact-checking unit (FCU), the Union government argued in the Bombay High Court that the right to know factual information and the right not to be misled is as important as the right to freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a).
- The Editors Guild of India and others have challenged the constitutionality of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023.
- These rules allow an FCU to identify and demand the removal of “fake or false or misleading” online content related to the Central Government’s business.
- The government brought FCU to counteract misinformation and to provide accurate information to the public.
- The petitioners argue that it creates a “chilling effect” on free speech under Article 19(1)(a).
Dig Deeper: Read about responsible authority to preserve the freedom of the press by maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India
