When media outlets around the world are either collaborating with fact-checkers or developing their own fact-checking mechanism to fight hoaxes, fake news and propaganda many news media houses in Bangladesh are doing just the opposite — spreading fake news, disinformation and misleading headlines. However unethical, this trend seems to have gone up dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic, although scores of online news portals have been doing this for quite some time.

There are also well-organised groups and people who seek to draw public attention through exaggeration and misleading information to serve their own or other vested quarters’ interest. We often see fake news, rumors and clickbait headlines circulate faster than facts. It has now become difficult for readers and the citizens in general to separate fake news from authentic reporting. And in the absence of credible sources of information, they scratch their heads, wondering what to read and where to find facts.

Around the world, there are now dedicated professional organisations to counter fake news and disinformation on real-time, verifying the authenticity of news, photos, videos as well as contents that go viral on social media. This is mostly done by experienced journalists in association with researchers and experts on information technology. Unfortunately, there is no such organisations in Bangladesh yet. 

Factখুঁজি, established by a group of veteran journalists, university teachers, researchers and IT experts, fills that vacuum for the first time in Bangladesh. As a fact-checking organisation, Factখুঁজি does not confine itself to determining the veracity of the news items. It goes deeper, finding who are behind a given fake news item, rumour or clickbait story and the motive behind it.  

Keeping the Bangladesh context in mind, Factখুঁজি is developing a set of learning tools to check the authenticity of websites, photos, videos and viral social media contents. We are also developing a training module to improve fact-checking skills and techniques of journalists.

All of these are aimed at making people aware about fake news, hoaxes and propaganda so that they refrain from unwittingly sharing or ‘liking’ anything that is fake and ill motivated. We believe we can fight fake news effectively and successfully if we can educate people and disseminate our fact-checked stories and essays through them. Only this way can facts prevail over falsehoods.