Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Claim
JioCare replied to a tweet by senior journalist Nidhi Razdan, who had complained about its mobile data service. “Hi Nidhi, we checked the details and found you haven’t paid your bill. Just because it’s Delhi, not everything is Free,” reads the alleged tweet by JioCare in response to Nidhi Razdan’s tweet.
Archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact
We looked up the official Twitter account of Razdan (@Nidhi) and found a tweet dated November 29, 2022 where she flagged poor mobile data services by Jio. Razdan tweeted, “Hi @JioCare. Your mobile data in Delhi is down for the last one week and you guys don’t answer your “helpline”. Pathetic service (sic).”
We skimmed through the comment section of the tweet but could not spot any reply from Jio calling out the senior journalist for not paying her bill.
However, we did come across a tweet by @JioCare asking Razdan to share her contact details “for a quick call.” The tweet read, “Hi Nidhi, not to worry! Just DM us your contact number for a quick call – Dennis.”
Notably, we did find a tweet by account ‘@saffpanther’, whose displayname says ‘Jio Care’, stating, “Hi Nidhi, we checked the details and found you haven’t paid your bill. Just because it’s Delhi, not everything is Free.”
This is the same text as seen in the viral image.
We checked the tweets & replies section of the official Twitter handle of Jio, but were unable to find any such tweet.
On analysing the viral image, we concluded that though Razdan’s post was authentic, the tweet showing alleged reply by Jio had some discrepancies. Firstly, @JioCare mostly posts its tweets through Locobuzz CX, however the viral image says “Twitter for iPhone.” Additionally, Jio’s replies always end with the name – most likely of their employee who is handling that specific complaint. Thirdly, the first letter of the word ‘Free’ is in uppercase in the middle of the sentence.
In a tweet dated November 30, 2022, Razdan herself clarified that the viral image was fake. She tweeted, “Fake tweet alert. Clearly some people have nothing better to do. @JioCare did not say this, they reached out to help and resolve the issue. Lage raho.”
We could thus conclude a screengrab of Razdan’s tweet and user @saffpanther’s reply has been digitally edited to give an impression that the Jio actually schooled the journalist over non-payment of bill. It is likely that the viral image was originated as a satire, and eventually users shared it believing to be an actual conversion between the journalist and the telecom giant.
Result: Altered Photo
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
