Last week’s incident wherein some social media accounts and portals have shared fake news about the presence of three terrorists at Palm Island Mall is a startling example of reckless use of this powerful media, which can have deleterious impact on society. Though swift action was taken in the case, the Jammu Police refuted the news reports and advised the general public not to pay heed to rumours and requested media houses to behave with responsibility as unverified news reports can lead to unnecessary panic.
The statement issued by the police in the matter clearly said that the reports are baseless as the Police Parties are on the spot and nothing suspicious has been found after verification. It has become necessary to initiate legal action against social media accounts/portals for such irresponsible reporting but at the same time, the people should also make it a point that they should rely only on government sources and credible portals besides print media as the mushrooming growth of social media portals and individual accounts has led to a surge in such unprincipled circulation of videos without checking their veracity and source.
In this case, the police has requested the media houses to avoid spreading rumours and behave responsibly as such unverifiable news items have the potential to create unnecessary panic and fear psychosis in the society. It is astounding that when the police has opened up a number of channels including round the clock phone connectivity with central control room for all, reporting such matters without confirming with the police is not only irresponsible but also against the law as already the government has made it clear that sharing fake news can invite trouble and legal intricacies.
It is really intriguing that some individuals and organizations in a rush to share news as early as possible often circulate unverified and fabricated stories leading to chaos in the society. In the age of deep fakes and misuse of Artificial Intelligence, believing and forwarding content on social media is not at all justified. As far as social media portals are concerned, they should have a team to authenticate the content before they share it on social media.
All said and done, the prudent use of social media can inform and connect people, but its misuse can disturb peace and order. Therefore, everyone must act responsibly and think before they post or share anything online in this public domain.
