Authors
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.
Ruby leads editorial, operations and initiatives at Newschecker. In her former avatar at New Delhi Television (NDTV), India’s leading national news network, she was a news anchor, supervising producer and senior output editor. Her over a decade-long career encompasses ground-breaking reportage from conflict zones and reporting on terror incidents, election campaigns, and gender issues. Ruby is an Emmy-nominated producer and has handled both local and international assignments, including the coverage of Arab Spring in 2011, the US Presidential elections in 2016, and ground reportage on the Kashmir issue since 2009.
Claim
Pakistan Government bans Pakistan’s media from covering Iran Airstrikes inside Pakistani territory. All journalists were banned from visiting the areas which were attacked.
Here is an archive link of the same.
Fact
Newschecker began by analysing the document that was being circulated. The document had certain visible inconsistencies. Firstly, the letterhead appeared faded while the text of the directive was clear and in new print.
We then analysed the comment section of the tweet and found several comments by Pakistan-based journalists calling the alleged directive fake.
We then reached out to journalist Muhammad Saqib Tanveer, who works with the Independent Urdu, who confirmed that the letter was false and that no journalists had received such a directive from the PMO.
“This letter seems fake. We haven’t received any such letter from the Prime Minister’s House/Office. The PM is in Davos. Furthermore, the alleged letter is a botched-up job. It’s not addressed to anyone. And also the PS to PM doesn’t sign letters of the PM. This is the PM’s letterhead and only he signs on this. PSPM’s letterhead usually has the Prime Minister’s Office written on the top. Also, the government has PEMRA (media regulator) for this purpose i.e. issuing instructions to media houses,” he said.
Saqib Tanveer also shared an image of a previous communication from the Prime Minister’s office in Pakistan, which is different in style and format compared to the viral letter, confirming that it is fake.
Furthermore, we found media reports from the location by Pakistan-based media houses such as Dawn and The Express Tribune published from the location.
We also conducted a reverse image search of the image, which took us to a Facebook post of the Prime Minister’s Office of Pakistan, which showed a similar letter issued in 2019 signed by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan.
Result: False
Our Sources
Analysis
Conversation with journalist Mohammad Saqib Tanveer, Independent Urdu
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Authors
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.
Ruby leads editorial, operations and initiatives at Newschecker. In her former avatar at New Delhi Television (NDTV), India’s leading national news network, she was a news anchor, supervising producer and senior output editor. Her over a decade-long career encompasses ground-breaking reportage from conflict zones and reporting on terror incidents, election campaigns, and gender issues. Ruby is an Emmy-nominated producer and has handled both local and international assignments, including the coverage of Arab Spring in 2011, the US Presidential elections in 2016, and ground reportage on the Kashmir issue since 2009.
