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.
A video of Mamata Banerjee was widely shared in social media as well as mainstream media to falsely allege that the West Bengal Chief Minister said Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam wrote ‘The Mahabharata,’ this week. From a video falsely claiming to be evidence of plastic in Aashirvaad Atta went viral, to multiple social media users wrongly claimed that Reynolds will discontinue some products in India, here are our top stories from the week:
Did Mamata Banerjee say Kazi Nazrul Islam wrote ‘The Mahabharata’? No, the viral video is clipped
A video clip of Mamata Banerjee has gone viral on social media, along with the claim that Mamata Banerjee can be heard apparently saying Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam wrote ‘The Mahabharata’. Several verified accounts along with many prominent media outlets have shared and covered this clip. In reality, Banerjee was referencing a poem by Kazi Nazrul Islam during her speech, and there is no evidence of her claiming that the poet wrote ‘The Mahabharata’. Fact-checking conducted by Newschecker has confirmed the claim to be deceptive. Read more here.
Aashirvaad Atta Contains Plastic? No, Clarify FSSAI, Experts
It is being claimed that packaged whole wheat flour from Aashirvaad contains plastic, as evidenced by kitchen experiments showing the dough gaining an elastic and sticky consistency. Newschecker learnt that the allegations have been around since 2018, following which the company that manufactures ‘Aashirvaad Atta’, ITC, categorically stated the claim is false, clarifying that Gluten, a naturally occurring protein in wheat, is what gives wheat flour its elasticity. Read more here.
Reynolds Pen To Discontinue Product in India? No, Company Called It Out ‘Misinformation’
The Reynolds 045 fine carbure pen – the iconic white body and blue cap has gained immense popularity even after decades in the market. However, on X (previously Twitter) some users claim that Reynolds will discontinue some products in India. A user named ’90skid wrote in a post that “Reynolds 045 Fine Carbure will no longer be available in market, end of an era…”. Neschecker found that the viral message saying Reynolds to discontinue “045 fine carbure” pen is not true. Reynolds has called the viral message a “misinformation”. Read more here.
Scam Watch: From Money Loss To Identity Theft & Legal Troubles, Many Layers Of The Rapidly Spreading FedEx scam
Dubbed the “FedEx scam”, this scam has its origins in US in the early 2020s as a simple text scam carrying a spam link. The text message contained a “tracking code” and a link to set “delivery preferences”, and informed the victim that their package was awaiting delivery. The link reportedly redirected users to a fake Amazon satisfaction survey. After answering some questions, the user was then asked for their credit card number to claim a free product, resulting in them getting scammed. Read more here.
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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.
