‘Fact Check’ will curb ‘Fake News’, says Apurva Chandra

New Delhi, March 26, 2022: Describing the significance of ‘fact check’ to curb the spread of ‘fake news’, Secretary, Ministry of Information &Broadcasting, Shri Apurva Chandra said it is extremely important to provide correct news to the general public in the right manner. He said during Covid-19 pandemic, correct information was provided to the people through the government information system, which helped the public in preventing the spread of pandemic and fighting against it effectively. Shri Chandra was addressing the trainee officers of Indian Information Service (IIS), Group 'A' at Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) on Friday.

DG IIMC Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi, Principal DGAll India RadioShri N.Venudhar Reddy, DG Publications DivisionMs. Moni Deepa Mukherjee, Registrarof Newspapers for India Shri Dhirendra Ojha,DG (Media & Communications), Ministry of FinanceRajesh Malhotra andADG Media& Communication in Election Commission of IndiaMs. SheyphaliB. Sharan was also present.
Shri Apurva Chandra further said that in the time of fake news, it is the duty of IIS officers to provide accurate information to the public. The dynamics of communication have changed during Covid and new tools of sharing information with the general public have emerged. He said a common man can make the best decisions with the help of correct information. Therefore, in the changing era of media and social media, the officials of government information service have to ensure that correct information reaches the masses.
Citing the recent evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine, Shri Chandra said during the evacuation process many questions were raised on the process adopted by the government and even fake information was spread on social media. But the government agencies delivered the right information to the people after examining the facts. He said there was a time when people believed what the foreign media said, but today the situation is different. Everyone has modern tools to cross-check information. It is the responsibility of IIS officers to use those tools and curb the spread of fake news.
Be a communicator, not an officer: Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi
Director General of IIMC Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi advised the trainee officers to communicate with people as a communicator and not as an officer, if they really want to be successful officers.He said it is the responsibility of officers to ensure that correct information about government programme and schemes reaches the people living even in remote areas. Prof. Dwivedi said the officials of Indian Information Service play an essential role in bridging the gap between the government and general public. The people will understand their rights and government procedures better if the officers inform them about various schemes in simple and clear language. He suggested the officers connect with people, communicate effectively and bring about change, if they want to be an effective government communicator.
Additional Director General of IIMC Shri Ashish Goyal welcomed the dignitaries and Dr. Rinku Peguproposed a vote of thanks. Dean AcademicsProf. Govind Singh, Dean Students Welfare Prof. Pramod Kumar, Prof. Sunetra Sen Narayan, Prof. Anand Pradhan, Prof. Sangeeta Pranvendra and Prof. Virendra Kumar Bharti were also present.