Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
The Washington Post praises Chandrayan-3 engineers, “depth of talent” in India.
Fact
Viral screenshot is of a reader’s comment on a Washington Post article, dated August 24, 2023.
Several social media users are circulating a purported screenshot of a Washington Post article, claiming that the American daily had written glowingly about the success of India’s historic Chandrayaan-3 mission, especially on how the country’s space programme was evidence of its depth of talent, considering the engineers did not hail from India’s top institutes such as the “prestigious IITs”.
Last month, India became the first country to land near the lunar south pole when the Vikram lander — carrying a rover called Pragyaan in its belly — touched down at a spot that’s about 600km from the pole. It also joined an elite club of countries to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the US, the former Soviet Union and China.
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here. We have received this claim on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), requesting us to fact-check the viral image.
Also Read: Old Photo From Mumbai Goes Viral Ahead Of G20 Summit In New Delhi
Fact Check
Newschecker noticed the words “Most liked” below the masthead, indicating that it may be a reader’s comment on a Washington Post report.
We then ran a keyword search of select phrases from the viral image, which led us to this Washington Post article, dated August 24, 2023, titled “India’s lunar landing leaves a nation enthralled and briefly unified”.
“For India, the landing on the moon’s south pole heralded its arrival as a modern scientific power that is outshining some traditional space-faring nations, such as Russia,” stated the article, adding that the landing was also symbolically significant for its prime minister, one of the space programme’s biggest cheerleaders. There was no mention about the background of the engineers or about their qualifications.
We then went through the comments section of the article, where we looked for the most liked post, which confirmed that the viral screenshot is of a comment by a reader, “SandersRavilyn”.
Also Read: Viral Quote Of Sunil Gavaskar Criticising BCCI Is Fabricated
Conclusion
Reader’s comment falsely shared as a Washington Post article praising Chandrayaan-3 engineers and India’s depth of talent.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
The Washington Post report, August 24, 2023
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
