Bulk Of Covid-19 Related Fact-Checks In April Related To Communal Rumours, Claims BOOM Live

A bulk of the Covid-19 related fact-checks in April were related to communal rumours, most of which were false allegations that Muslims were spreading the virus on purpose, according to a report by BOOM Live. 

BOOM Live said its study analysed 178 fact-checks on Covid-19 related to misinformation or disinformation elating to the pandemic between January and May. “During April, a new trend observed was that communally charged disinformation targeting Muslims became more frequent,” the report said. By the end of April, a bulk of BOOM Live’s fact-checks were on communal rumours.

… “Islamophobic rumours around them purposefully spreading the virus became viral on the internet”. Other trends also witnessed in April were a spike in fake news related to politics, misinformation about the lockdown in India and the spread of the virus in Italy, and rumours about the Indian economy.