How Gen Z is turning to newspapers to combat misinformation

As news of Operation Sindoor Indiarsquos latest crossborder military operation against terrorism dominated breaking news headlines and flooded social media posts 21yearold Nora Varma a finalyear student at a prominent private university in Haryana was on campus when tensions first began to stir The Goregaon resident recalls ldquoWhen the news broke last week the campus was eerily calm Then when Haryana was officially placed on high alert that calm quickly turned into chaosrdquoOutstation students scrambled to advance their flight bookings back home and panic set in But for Varma the anxiety wasnrsquot just about the crisis itself it was about the confusion around itldquoThe panic was caused by the absolute lack of clear information and by the fog of misinformation created on social mediardquo she says Rumours swirled and speculation filled the vacuum ldquoStudents from the university began casually posting unverified updates about the situation on Instagram often mixing in their personal opinions without any factual basis It was the projection of these halfbaked opinions as facts that severely added to the panicrdquoFor Nora Varma the initial panic was caused by the absence of clear information and the fog created on social media with people posting unverified updates on their feedsBut Varma isnrsquot the only one grappling with misinformation during this time of crisis Across the country many Gen Z have fallen prey to a flood of unverified content circulating on social media mdash often amplified by prominent news channels and anchors under the ldquobreaking newsrdquo bannerFrom old or doctored videos and photos posted by unverified sources to AIgenerated images and posts taken completely out of context this wave of disinformation has only heightened anxiety and confusion among young Indians The fog of war it seems is no longer limited to the battlefield itrsquos on their screensFor Jyotsna Mohan a renowned journalist author and columnist mdash ldquoif the pandemic was the coming out party of the Indian media as the voice of the voiceless the television coverage of the recent IndiaPakistan tension has been the final nail in the coffin of journalism for truthrsquos sakerdquoJyotsna Mohan authorShe goes on to say that fantasy lies jingoism and simulated videos were woven together to deprive citizens of fact and reason ldquoThere was a time when half of Pakistan was in the custody of Indian TV newsrooms Yet not surprisingly we havenrsquot seen a single apology for misleading the citizens who struggled to sift misinformation from genuine newsrdquo she says with a sighJyotsna Mohan Bhargava is of the belief that fantasy lies jingoism and simulated videos were woven together by several TV news outlets and deprived citizens of fact and reasonFor Varma turning from social media to digital news sources didnrsquot offer much relief either ldquoEven platforms I usually trust like TV news or Al Jazeera started to feel overwhelming And while I know every outlet comes with its own bias seeing Al Jazeera publish certain things still shocked me Theyrsquore internationally respected but not immune to biasrdquoHowever according to some Gen Z a few journalists like Barkha Dutt Palki Sharma Upadhyay and Shiv Aroor have time and again brought clarity and credibility regarding the situation even in these dark times of television journalismSeveral young Indians also have started turning to traditional media such as newspapers for verified and reliable updates Aaryan Panchal a 22yearold law student and Kandivli resident explains ldquoI refuse to look at social media for any updates on the current situation given the current flood of misinformationrdquoAaryan Panchal a 22yearold law student and Kandivli resident notes that he refuses to look at social media for any updates on the current situation given the current flood of misinformation For him print media is the only source he trusts PicNimesh DavePanchal adds that he doesnrsquot mind biased news but what he does mind is fearmongering and the sensationalising of realtime events Hence for him print media is the only source he trusts completely ldquoI know for a fact that every word in the paper is verified before it goes to print I donrsquot mind getting my news two or three hours later at least I can be reassured that itrsquos credible factchecked and accuraterdquo Mohan adds that without the macabre race for TRPs newspapers offered a measured tone just what was needed in fraught times ldquoThis has been a reminder of how despite existential questions over print media newspapers are needed to offset the unreliability of television news especially as seen in the last ten yearsrdquoLike most in his generation Punyavardhan Shah sees social media as the most accessible source of news ldquoIrsquom not someone who keeps up with the news on a daily basisrdquo he admits However that changed with the onset of Operation Sindoor which he began following more closely ldquoIt was probably anxietyrdquo he reflects ldquoThe idea that something intense is happening in your country makes you want to stay updated Itrsquos about being aware so yoursquore not caught off guardrdquoPunyavardhan ShahBut when he does turn to traditional media Shah prefers platforms like CNN ldquoSome of my friends say CNN is boringrdquo he says ldquoBut thatrsquos kind of the point The flashier the presentation the more it tends to chase TRPs instead of facts So in this case boring might actually be betterrdquoOver the past two weeks Prafful Garg mdash a 27yearold entrepreneur founder and CEO of Younity which is an educational platform and a public figure with over15 million Instagram followers mdash has dominated social media feeds with curated verified updates on Operation Sindoor Indian foreign policy national security and more His recent rise to public attention has been fuelled by the unscripted straighttalking explainer videos he regularly posts on social media many of which have garnered over a million views eachOver the past two weeks Prafful Garg mdash a 27yearold entrepreneur and a public figure mdash has dominated social media feeds with curated and factchecked updates on Operation Sindoor Indian foreign policy national security and moreldquoI saw something dangerous happeningrdquo Garg says ldquoPeople werenrsquot reading the news anymore They were getting their information from 60 to 80second reels with zero verification and thatrsquos exactly where misinformation thrivesrdquo Despite his influence Garg sees himself primarily as a teacher a role he believes is central to his wide reach and credibilityCharansh Juneja the face behind the popular Instagram page The Indian Idiot which now has over 12 million followers has seen his platform become a goto source of periodic updates for many Gen Z users during the ongoing crisis ldquoI created the page back in 2015 with the aim of building a fun engaging news platform that keeps young people up to date with whatrsquos trendingrdquo he saysJuneja adds that in critical moments the platform becomes more like a public service bulletin focused purely on verified official information without any opinion or drama ldquoWe stick strictly to DD News and ANI as our sources We also followed all official government handles to provide realtime updates There was so much panic and misinformation on social media so our goal was to keep things groundedrdquoStill one post slipped through the cracks ldquoA story that we posted about a Pakistani pilot being captured turned out to be fake This mistake made me reinforce the strict guidelines Irsquod already set for my teamrdquo says JunejaManasvi Vinod Kanna a thirdyear International Relations student at Tokyo International University Japan says that these days her goto source is the Ministry of External Affairs and DGMO official YouTube briefings right Charansh Juneja the face behind the popular Instagram page The Indian Idiot has seen his platform become a goto source of periodic and verified updates for many Gen Z users during the ongoing crisisGarg too admits hersquos made mistakes along the way He admits that initially he took the word of Indian news channels at face value when they reported on Operation Sindoor ldquoFor instance when reports claimed that Karachi Port had been struck by the Indian Navy and news outlets covered it I believed it But later the official Karachi Port Trustrsquos social media mdash where this ldquonewsrdquo was first posted mdash claimed that their account had been hackedrdquoThat moment shifted his approach and committed to a stricter standard only information that appeared in writing from credible newspapers verified Press Information Bureau PIB statements official MEA press briefings or intel from onground journalists would make it to his platformThe problem of misinformation today is that goes beyond just usergenerated content Recently the PIB had to debunk fake ldquoverifiedrdquo X accounts with blue ticks impersonating Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi both of whom gained national prominence after leading press briefings for Operation Sindoor This made the fake accounts appear legitimate to the publicWing Commander Vyomika Singh left and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi right PicGetty ImagesThe Press Information Bureau PIB debunked fake ldquoverifiedrdquo X accounts of the officials PicInstagrampibfactcheckThe PIB has since issued a strong advisory urging citizens to stay vigilant and rely only on official sources for informationToday the PIB Fact Check handles on X and Instagram have become essential tools for separating fact from fiction constantly debunking proPakistan propaganda Since the advent of Operation Sindoor its Instagram account alone has posted around 70 updates debunking viral claims and labelling misinformation and fake news clearly ldquoThat kind of effort is crucial right now it really helps cut through the noise and ease the anxietyrdquo Shah notesOne recent example of such anxiety was the case of Kirana Hills a site in Pakistanrsquos Punjab long linked to its nuclear program After satellite images and unverified footage appeared online rumours swirled that India had struck the alleged nuclear site during Operation Sindoor Claims of radioactive leaks followed and some even tied recent earthquakes in Pakistan to supposed nuclear falloutThe Indian government and armed forces swiftly denied the reports In a briefing Air Marshal AK Bharti Director General of Air Operations stated ldquoWe have not hit Kirana Hills whatever is thererdquo Soon after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed there had been no radiation leak or nuclear incident in Pakistan quashing the rumours entirelyDirector General of Military Operations DGMO Lt General Rajiv Ghai left with Air Marshal AK Bharti centre and Vice Admiral AN Pramod right clarified rumours stating that India had not struck the alleged nuclear site in Kirana Hills in Pakistan at a press conference on May 12 PicGetty ImagesThis incident underscores the critical importance of verifying what we see and hear especially during periods of heightened tension In such moments even unintentional misinformation spurred by any party can quickly blur into propaganda quietly reshaping narratives before facts catch upTo ensure his content remains widely accessible Garg deliberately avoids copyright restrictions ldquoI want people to share my videos freely especially on TikTok The ban in India drastically reduced our international reach and unfortunately thatrsquos created more space for unchecked information circulating abroadrdquoManasvi Vinod Kanna a thirdyear International Relations student at Tokyo International University Japan recalls how she first learned about the attack ldquoI found out through social mediardquo she says ldquoBut I didnrsquot want to jump to conclusions so I called my mom back home in Goa She confirmed it mdash it was all over the Indian newsrdquoBeing far from home hasnrsquot made things easier but Kanna says staying grounded is key and making a conscious effort to verify every bit of news before reacting helps her stay calm These days her goto source is the Ministry of External Affairs official YouTube briefings ldquoWhen the rumours of Pakistan breaking the ceasefire first emerged on social media I was very scepticalrdquo she recalls It was only after she watched the live briefing where Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed it that she took it seriouslyAnother strong voice in the fight against misinformation is journalist Faye DrsquoSouza Both Shah and Varma say they trust individual journalists like her ldquoShersquos been doing a great job verifying and curating newsrdquo notes ShahFaye DrsquosouzaStill even DrsquoSouza has faced pressure to speed things up In a recent post she shared a message from a follower who DMed her saying her updates were ldquotoo slowrdquo and urged her to cover the news in real time ldquoToday people want news fast and thatrsquos the problem because fast news is rarely verifiedrdquo notes GargDrsquoSouza notes ldquoMy team and I take our credibility very seriously so much so that we intentionally slow down the news Every piece of information we publish must be verified by at least two independent sourcesrdquoShe adds that they rely on primary confirmations from trusted institutions like the Indian Army the Ministry of Defence PIB or verified government channels alongside news wires like PTI ldquoIf it doesnrsquot pass that bar we donrsquot carry it In fact there have been instances where wersquove held back information that later turned out to be falserdquo She adds that this is why especially in times of conflict her updates may appear slower ldquoBut thatrsquos the time it takes to get the truth rightrdquoFor Varma the lesson is clear Reading something critically and forming your own opinion is one thing But getting swept up in someone elsersquos prepackaged narrative especially on social media is dangerous Thatrsquos why shersquos become more cautious about the information she consumes and shares ldquoIf I see something online I donrsquot just believe it I crosscheck it across multiple reputable outlets especially before sharing it to avoid fear mongering Unless an authorised source confirms it I remain scepticalrdquo70 postshave been uploaded by the PIBrsquos Fact Check account on Instagram debunking fake news since May 7Gen zrsquos new sources of news thinspTraditional media like newspapers thinspMinistry of External Affairs official YouTube briefings thinspAll India Radio thinspDD News thinspVerified accounts of legitimate journalists thinspSocial media accounts like The Indian Idiot and Prafful GargatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params