Maharashtra govt to fact-check media reports

The decision was taken following the directives of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who appears to be rather cautious about the image of his government

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to fact-check media reports and respond to the ones it finds misleading as soon as possible, according to a circular issued by the state’s chief secretary, Sujata Saunik, on Friday. The decision was taken following the directives of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who appears to be rather cautious about the image of his government.

Mumbai, Mar 24 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chairs a review meeting regarding pending MahaPareshan projects, at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Monday. (ANI Photo) (CMO Maharashtra X)

According to the circular, joint secretary or deputy secretary-level officers across all state departments will be tasked with responding to media houses with clarifications or factual reports about the stories the same day. The Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) has been asked to gather news reports that need clarification and send them to the respective state departments for further action.

In doing so, Maharashtra is following the lead of states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which set up fact-checking units in 2023 to address misinformation related to the state government. The central government also has a fact-checking unit under the Press Information Bureau (PIB), set up in 2019.

On a similar note, the Maharashtra government on March 5 formed a cell under the DGIPR that was tasked with analysing all news reports about the government in print and broadcast media and preparing a factual report on them. If the reports are found misleading or negative, the cell has to issue a clarification immediately. To make this possible, the state government has decided to appoint designated officers not below the rank of joint secretary or deputy secretary in all its departments.

Here’s how it would work: if a news channel’s report is found misleading, the cell will create a clip and send it to a group of secretaries. “Based on the seriousness of the news story, the concerned department is expected to prepare a factual report along with the feedback and send it back to DGIPR,” the circular stated. The DGIPR will then upload the “factual information” on its website the same day and also send it to the concerned media house as a clarification.

“The state government believes that there is a need to respond to the news stories of the print media and electronic media that are unrealistic or misleading in nature,” the chief secretary said, as per the circular.

The DGIPR has also been tasked with gathering stories related to the central government and sending them to the PIB for further action.