Freedom of Information and Burden of Disinformation

In an era defined by hyper-connectivity, where news travels faster than it can be verified, truth finds itself shackled—battered by waves of misinformation, disinformation, and the relentless pursuit of virality.

- SWAPAN KR. CHATTERJEE

In an era defined by hyper-connectivity, where news travels faster than it can be verified, truth finds itself shackled—battered by waves of misinformation, disinformation, and the relentless pursuit of virality. Social media, once lauded as a great tool of democracy and a beacon of participatory discourse, has increasingly turned into a theatre of manipulated narratives and curated outrage.

This crisis is no longer peripheral. Fake news has ballooned into a parallel stream of content, with self-styled commentators, anonymous influencers, and ideological echo chambers constructing elaborate but fictitious storylines. Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram have become fertile breeding grounds for doctored content, hastily consumed and uncritically shared. The consequences are profound and far-reaching.