CHAPTER 6 : SURVEY AND DISCUSSION

6.1 : Overview

India is a country of 1.41 billion people (“India Population (2023) - Worldometer,”

n.d.), where 692 million people are active internet users. Among them 351 million
internet users are in rural India and 341 million users reside in urban areas. It is estimated
that by 2025, India will have 900 million internet users, which is astonishing (Livemint,
2022). This tremendous figure of population and internet access makes the situation
alarming for the country in terms of fake news propagation and its impact on the masses.
So far no extensive academic study has been done to know the behaviour of the Indians
after consuming fake news on online and TV news outlets. So it is very important to
explore the news consuming habits of people, their choice of online and TV news outlets
for consuming news, knowledge about fake news and their perception about mainstream
news outlets, whose stories are found to be debunked on fact-check outlets.

India also has witnessed emergence and growth of home-born fact-check outlets in recent
years. So it is prudent to know how common man of the country is using these outlets to
counter fake news and what is their perception on these fact-check outlets. The country
has also seen emergence of Alternate news outlets, which are run by professional
journalists online. These outlets are working parallel to mainstream news outlets. This
scenario of news dissemination by different type of news outlets and fake news
debunking process of different home grown fact-check outlets makes a diverse
information propagation scenario in India.

Apart from it, social media platforms in India is also propagating lots of information and
some of them contain fake news. So it is worth studying the user involvement with these
outlets and social media platforms. This survey has tried to explore the relevant aspects
of fake news propagation and its consumption in India. Media literacy is also an
important factor in the fight against fake news. This study tries to know how common
man perceives media literacy and is they ready to learn media literacy skills? This study
has focused only on English and Hindi language news outlets of the country. To know the

Page 187
different aspects of fake news propagation and its consumption in India, this research has
identified some key points which are as follows.

a. How many people in our sample size use internet and what is their primary
equipment to access news?

b. Do people have less knowledge about fake news or they are fully aware of it?

c. Do the public know about independent fact check outlets? If yes, which
independent fact check outlet they visit the most?

d. Do people visit the website/app of mainstream Hindi language news outlets (Print
and Television) to consume news or they access news from mainstream Hindi
news outlets’ links found on different social media platforms? If yes, which
mainstream Hindi news outlet’s platform they usually visit?

e. Do people prefer to access news in English language by visitinig website/app of

mainstream English language news outlets (Print and Television) or they access it
from the links of these outlets found on different social media platforms? If yes,
which mainstream English Print/TV outlet’s platform they usually visit?

f. Do people visit Youtube channels of mainstream Hindi news outlets (Print and
TV) ? If yes, which Hindi Print/TV outlet’s YouTube channel they prefer to visit?

g. Do people like to go to the Youtube channels of mainstream English news outlets

(Print and TV) to consume news? Which one is their favourite Youtube platform?

h. Do People consuming news from Hindi/English language news platforms (Print

and Television) have ever seen fake news there, which was later debunked?

i. Which category of fake news they see most of the time?

j. Do they share such fake contents on their social media platform? It may be
knowingly or unknowingly without verifying the facts.

k. If they share fake contents knowingly, why they do so?

Page 188
l. Do people encounter fake content or news on alternative media’s online platforms
and which category of fake content they found the most?

m. Which social media platform people use most of the time and do they encounter
fake news on these platforms?

n. Which category of fake news they see the most on social media platforms?

o. Which messaging app people like to use regularly and on which messaging
platform do they see fake news most of the time?

p. Are people capable enough to identify fake news and do they search for the
concerned facts on online platforms?

q. Do people know special features of social media platforms, which provide

opportunity for the users to flag or report a fake content?

r. Do people use this feature to report or flag a fake content?

s. Which independent fact check outlet debunks a fake content more convincingly
by giving enough evidence and adopting a rational approach?

t. What attracts people towards independent fact check outlets?

u. Do people think that independent fact check outlet’s approach towards selecting a
story for debunking is neutral and unbiased? Or do they select stories according
to their ‘judgement’?

v. Which Print and Alternative news (Hindi & English) outlet’s fact-check section
debunks a story more convincingly which compels the people to visit their
platform?

w. Which Television news (Hindi & English) outlet’s fact-check section debunks a
fake story more convincingly which impress the readers to visit their platform?

x. Do journalists from mainstream and Alternate news outlets also spread fake news
through their different social media profiles/handles?

Page 189
 y. Do Fact-check skills are necessary to combat fake news? Do fact-check skills
needs to be included in the school-college syllabus to empower younger
generation of India to fight against fake news? Do people think that it should be
included in the syllabus of school education in India?

To answer the research questions and the key points discussed above, a quantitative
survey method has been adopted by this study. For this a sample size of 600 people
from different states of the country have been taken. India is a country of diverse
languages, cultures, customs, rituals and ambitions. It has 28 States and 8 Union
Territories. To accommodate people from all States and Union Territories in proportion
of their population is a mammoth task which requires huge resources and time. So due
to these limitations and time as well as resource constraints, this study has only
included 600 people from 17 different States and one Union Territory of India using
random sampling and snow ball sampling methods.

The research administered a prepared close ended structured questionnaire to the

respondents using online and offline methods. Total 133 responses in the online survey
and 467 responses in the off-line survey have been validated. The survey questionnaire
has 45 close-ended questions, which were administered in English and Hindi languages.
The researcher explained the questions to the respondents, when needed. (For more
details, Please see Chapter 4, Research Methodology)

Findings of the Survey and Discussion

The composition of the survey respondents on different parameters is as follows.

Section-I

6.2 : Gender of the Respondents

Online Offline Total

GENDER Respondents Respondents Respondents Percentage

Male 106 296 402 67%

Female 27 171 198 33%

Total 133 467 600 100%

Table -1 Page 190

Interpretation: Data shows that 67% males and 33% females have participated in this
study.

6.3 : Age of the Respondents

The age of respondents vary from 10-17 years to 65 years and above. Among them,
details of the respondents’ age and their percentage are as follows. (See Table-2)

Interpretation: From
Online Offline
the above data, the Total Percentage
AGE Response Response
highest number of
respondents in this 10-17 Years 1 22 23 3.8%

survey is from 18-25 18-25 Years 47 127 174 29%

years age bracket (29%) 26-33 Years 31 112 143 23.8%
and the second highest 34-41 Years 12 97 109 18%
respondents are in the
42-49 Years 24 53 77 12.8%
age group of 26-33
50-57 Years 8 36 44 7%
years, which is 23.8%
58-64 Years 6 12 18 3%
of the total respondents.
The lowest number of 65 and above 4 8 12 2%

respondents are in the Total 133 467 600 100%

age group of 65 years
Table -2
and above.

6.4 : Educational Qualification of the Respondents

The educational qualification of the respondents varies from below high school to Ph.D.
The details are as follows. (See Table-3)

Interpretation: The above data shows that highest number of respondents are Post
Graduate (36.8%) followed by Graduate (19.8%) and Intermediate (15.6%) qualified
respondents. The number of respondents having PhD. (2.6%) is the lowest.

Page 191
 Online Offline
Education Total Percentage
Response Response

High School 4 68 72 12%

Intermediate 3 91 94 15.6%
Graduate 18 101 119 19.8%
PG 95 126 221 36.8%
Ph.D 12 4 16 2.6%
Below High
1 77 78 13%
School
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-3
6.5 : Profession of the Respondents

People from different walks of life have participated in this survey. The details of their
profession are as follows. (See Table-4)

Online Offline Percen

Profession Total
Response Response tage Interpretation: The above data

Governme shows that maximum respondents

nt/Private 80 168 248 41% (41%) are from government or
job
private job. The second highest
Business 10 53 63 10.5%
number of respondents is students
Student/
29 171 200 33% (33%). Third highest number of
Scholar

Farmer 2 0 2 0.6%
respondents is from business
community (10.5%). Another 7%
Journalist 9 5 14 2%

Home
respondents are home-makers.
1 42 43 7%
Maker
(See Table-4)
Advocate 1 0 1 0.16%

Unemploy
1 28 29 4.8%
ed

TOTAL 133 467 600 100%

Table- 4

Page 192
6.6 : Native State of the Respondents

Interpretation: The above data (Chart-5) shows that maximum number of respondents
is from Delhi-NCR region, which is 44.33% of total respondents of the study. The second
highest number of respondents is from Jharkhand (23%) and third highest number of
respondents is from West Bengal (16.6%). Respondents from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are
4% and 5% respectively. (See Table-5)

Online Offline Percent

State Total
Response Response age

Delhi-NCR 11 255 266 44%

Bihar 23 0 23 4%
Jharkhand 25 115 140 23%
Madhya
7 0 7 1.3%
Pradesh

Chhattisgarh 2 0 2 0.3%

Haryana 3 0 3 0.5%

Himachal
8 0 8 1.3%
Pradesh

Karnataka 2 0 2 0.3%

Jammu
2 0 2 0.3%
&Kashmir

Kerala 1 0 1 0.16%

Maharashtra 4 0 4 0.6%
Uttar Pradesh 32 0 32 5.33%
Odisha 1 0 1 0.16%
Punjab 2 0 2 0.3%
Rajasthan 4 0 4 0.6%
Telangana 1 0 1 0.16%

Uttarakhand 2 0 2 0.3%

West Bengal 3 97 100 16.6%

Total 133 467 600 100%

Table- 5

Page 193
6.7: Marital Status of the Respondents

Interpretation: The data in chart-6 shows that 53.5% respondents taking part in this
study are Single and 46.5% are married. (See Table-6)

Online Offline Total Percent

M a r i t a l Response Response age
Status

Married 65 214 279 46.5%

Single 68 253 321 53.5%
TOTAL 133 467 600 100%

Table- 6

6.8: Summary of Section-1

The summary of Section-1 of the survey is as follows.

a. People who participated in the online survey are highly educated ( As 71% of
them are Post Graduate, See Table-2 ) and technology friendly (As they have
filled in the online Google form with ease ). So it can affect their online news
consumption habits too.

b. People who have participated in the offline survey are from urban as well as rural
background. Nearly 16% of them have registered their educational qualification
below Matriculation and Nearly 14% have completed their education up-to
Matriculation. Only 27% of them are Post Graduates. So it can affect their online
news consumption habits and understanding of Fake News as media literacy is
very important for fake news identification.

6.9 : Survey Questions and Responses, Section-II

Item 1 : Do you use internet? If yes, you prefer to consume online news, with Smart-
Phone or Desktop Computer?

A. Yes, consume online news mostly with my Smartphone

B .Yes, consume online news mostly with my Desktop/laptop computer

Page 194
 Online Offline Percen Yes, Smartphone
Total Yes, desktop
Item 1 : Response Response tage
Don't cosume online news
Don't use net
A 117 332 449 75%

B 13 31 44 7%
21%
C 3 97 100 17%
D 0 7 7 1%
14% 60%
Total 133 467 600 100%
6%
Table-7

C. I don't consume news online

D. No, I don’t use internet. Chart-1: How people
consume online news

Interpretation: The above mentioned responses

indicate that overwhelming majority of the people use internet which shows very deep
penetration of internet in Indian population. Almost 99 percent of respondents use
internet.

The results also show that a vast majority of people are consuming news through their
smart-phones. Almost 75% respondents (449 people) confirmed it. Only 7% people
(44 people) say that they consume online news via their desktop or laptop. However
17% respondents say that they don’t consume online news, which indicates that they
prefer to consume news either by print or TV/Radio medium. Overall, the results
indicate that news consumption habits of people have changed in India and now they
are preferring consuming online news through their mobile phones, which is easy to
carry and access, anytime-anywhere. (See Table 7 and chart 1)

Item 2: Do you know about Fake News? What is your understanding of it?

A. Yes, have a good knowledge about it

B. Yes but don’t know about it in detail

C. No, I don’t have any idea about it

Page 195
D. Can’t say
Do you know about fake news?
Yes, have a good knowledge about it 256
Yes but don’t know about it in detail 231
211
No, I don’t have any idea about it
Can’t say 143
113
92 92

20 21 21
0 0
Online Respondents Offline Respondents Total Respondents

Chart-2
Item 2: Online Offline Total
Response Response
Interpretation: The results show that a
A 113 143 256
good number of people (approx 43%) know
about fake news very well. However 38.5% B 20 211 231

respondents say that they know about it but C 0 92 92

not in detail. Only 15% people say that they D 0 21 21
don’t have any idea about fake news. The Total 133 467 600
results indicate that people are aware about
Table-8
fake news and their knowledge about it is
either very good or average. Only a few people don’t know about it.

Item 3: Do you know about independent fact-check outlets, who debunk fake news?
Which fact-check outlet you visit the most?

A. Yes, Boomlive B. Yes, PIB Fact check

C. Yes, SM Hoax Slayer D. Yes, Alt News
E. Yes, Vishvas News F. Yes, Factly
G. Yes, Factcrescendo H. Yes, Digiteye
I. Yes, News Checker J. Yes, News Mobile
K. Yes, News Meter L. Yes, Webqoof
M. Yes, Factcheker N. Others

Page 196
 O. Yes, I know about independent fact-check outlets but I don't visit them.
P. No, I don’t know about independent fact check outlets.

I n t e r p re t a t i o n : T h e
results indicate that

Item 3: Online Offline Total

Response Response

A 5 35 40

B 23 52 75

C 0 17 17

D 43 133 176

E 3 26 29

F 0 7 7

G 0 9 9

H 0 4 4 Chart-3

I 2 3 5 overwhelming majority of people know about

J 0 10 10 fact-check outlets. Only 6% say that they don’t

K 0 4 4 know about them. Data of the survey shows that

about one-third of respondents (29%) go to Alt
L 1 16 17
News to know about fake news. Also 12.5%
M 2 14 16
respondents go to PIB fact-check and 6% go to
N 2 4 6 Boomlive. Nearly 5% respondents go to Vishvas
O 36 111 147 News, which is a sister - organisation of

P 16 22 38 mainstream print media outlet, Dainik Jagran

Group. People also visit rest of the fact-check
Total 133 467 600
outlets but their numbers are not significant.
Table-9

Page 197
Item 4: Do you read/view online news on mainstream News outlets' Hindi websites?
Which outlet's website do you prefer to visit
Online Offline
the most? Item 4: Total
Response Response

A. Aaj Tak A 14 33 47
B 8 20 28
B. Zee News Hindi
C 5 16 21
D 0 23 23
C. ABP News Hindi
E 34 65 99
D. Navbharat Times F 1 18 19

G 2 17 19
E. NDTV India
H 0 12 12

F. Live Hindustan I 2 13 15
J 20 40 60
G. Dainik Jagran K 0 16 16
L 3 10 13
H. News 18 Hindi
M 18 50 68

I. Amar Ujala N 1 7 8
O 2 11 13
J. Dainik Bhaskar P 0 8 8
Q 0 9 9
K. TV9 Hindi
R 0 12 12
L. Jansatta S 0 3 3
T 2 14 16
M. BBC Hindi
U 0 4 4
V 0 0 0
N. India TV Hindi
W 0 10 10
O. DD News Hindi X 0 12 12
Y 0 3 3
P. Sudarshan TV Hindi
Z 7 13 20

Q. Rajasthan Patrika AA 14 28 42
Total 133 467 600
R. Punjab Kesri
Table-10
S. Lokmat Hindi

Page 198
 T. Prabhat Khabar

U. Haribhoomi

V. Divya Himachal

W. Dainik Tribune

X. Nai Duniya

Y. Pioneer Hindi

Z. Others

AA. No, I don't read/

view news on
Hindi news
outlet's websites

Chart-4

Interpretation: Results indicate that people do go to the online version of mainstream

news outlets’ Hindi websites and apps. Data shows that Hindi news channel, NDTV
India’s website is visited by 16.5% respondents. Another 11% go to the BBC Hindi’s
website. Also 10% visit Dainik Bhaskar online, 8% vist Aaj Tak’s website, 5% Zee News’
website and 4% go to Navbharat Times’ online platform.

This data indicates that NDTV India and BBC Hindi are two prominent Hindi language
websites, where respondents of this survey preferred to visit to consume news. Also 7%
respondents say that they don’t go to Hindi news website to consume news.

Item 5: If you read/view news on mainstream TV/Print/Online news outlets' Hindi

websites, have you ever encountered any story there, which was later declared as
FAKE NEWS?

Page 199
 Item Online Offline Total Percen
5: Response Response tage

A 122 416 538 91%

B 7 45 52 7%

C 4 6 10 2%
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-11
A. Yes, I have encountered fake
news on mainstream Hindi news
outlets' websites.
B. No, I have not encountered fake
news on mainstream Hindi news
outlets' websites.
C. NO, I don't read/watch news on
mainstream news outlet's Hindi
Chart-5
websites.
Interpretation: The overwhelming number of people, 91% say that they have
encountered fake news on the mainstream TV/Print/Online Hindi news outlets’
platform, which was later debunked. Only 7% say that they have not encountered fake
stories there. A small amount of people 2% say that they don't watch or read Hindi news
on these platforms. It indicates that news consumption in Hindi language is very high
and most of the people have seen fake news there.

Item 6: On mainstream news outlets' Hindi websites, which CATEGORY OF FAKE

NEWS you see the most? You can choose more than one option.

A. Politics B. Communal hatred

C. Religion D. Health
E. Business/finance F. Sports
G. World H. Covid-19 Pandemic

Page 200
 I. Crime Item Online Offline Percen
Total
J. Film Industry 6: Responses Responses tage

K. Other A 66 395 461 14%

L. No, I have not encountered fake
B 78 402 480 14.5%
news on mainstream Hindi news
C 47 416 463 14%
outlets' websites.
D 20 165 185 6%
M. NO, I don't read/watch news on
E 11 95 106 3%
mainstream news outlet's Hindi
F 3 73 76 2%
websites.
G 18 192 210 6%
H 29 385 414 13%
Interpretation: Data show that people see
I 9 284 293 9%
three major categories of fake news on the
J 22 365 387 12%
mainstream news outlet’s Hindi website.
K 9 137 146 4%
These categories are Politics, Communal
L 8 13 21 0.5%
M 12 28 40 1%
Total 3282 100 %

Table-12

Hatred and Religion. People

say that 14.5% fake news on
these news platforms are
related to Communal Hatred.
Another 14% thinks it is
related to Politics and rest
14% see fake news related to
Religion on mainstream
Hindi news platforms.

This is interesting that

respondents see 12% fake
news related to Bollywood
Chart-6

Page 201
and 13% fake news associated with Covid-19 pandemic. Also 9% fake stories are related
to Crime and 6% are related to Health and World matters. Data indicates that fake news
related to Politics, Communal Hatred and Religion are rampant in the society which
people see on mainstream Hindi news outlets’ platform too.

Item 7: Do you watch mainstream Hindi newspaper's YouTube channel? Which

Hindi newspaper's YOUTUBE CHANNEL do you watch the most?

Item Online Offline

Total
7: Response Response

A 10 69 79

B 7 90 97
C 1 31 32
D 1 18 19
E 5 61 66
F 1 35 36
G 5 22 27
H 19 70 89
I 1 10 11
J 3 15 18
Chart-7
K 0 6 6
A.Yes, Navbharat Times
L 0 1 1
B. Yes, Dainik Jagran
M 14 11 25
C. Yes, Punjab Kesari
N 66 28 94
D. Yes, Rajasthan Patrika
Total 133 467 600 E. Yes, Live Hindustan
F. Yes, Amar Ujala
Table-13

G. Yes, Jansatta H. Yes, Dainik Bhaskar

I. Yes, Lokmat Hindi J. Yes, Prabahat Khabar
K. Yes, Hari bhoomi L. Yes, Divya Himachal

Page 202
 M. Yes, other Hindi newspaper's YouTube channel
N. NO, I don't watch Hindi newspaper's Youtube channel

Interpretation: In this online age, every news platform is trying to make its presence on
YouTube for greater reach and attract diverse viewers. The data of this survey shows that
around 16% respondents prefer to visit Dainik Jagran’s YouTube channel, which is a
mainstream print news outlet. Rest 15% like to go to Dainik Bhaskar’s channel. Another
13% go to Navbharat Times’ YouTube channel and 11% likes Hinustan Hindi’s channel.
Also 16% respondents don’t watch YouTube channel of Hindi news outlets.

The results indicate that prominent mainstream news outlets are enjoying good amount of
viewer’s attention, which gives them hope for future growth.

Item 8: Have you encountered FAKE NEWS on mainstream Hindi newspaper's

YOUTUBE CHANNEL?

Item Online Offline Total Percen

8: Response Response tage

A 67 396 430 72%

B 27 18 32 5%

C 69 23 58 10%

D 98 30 80 13%
Total 261 467 600 100%

Table-14

A. Yes, I have encountered

FAKE NEWS on Hindi
n e w s p a p e r ' s Yo u T u b e Chart-8
channel

B . No, I have not encountered FAKE NEWS on Hindi newspaper's YouTube channel

C . Can't Say

D. NO, I don't watch Hindi newspaper's YouTube channel

Page 203
Interpretation: This is a very important question as YouTube video consumption is very
high in India due to internet penetration and cheap smart-phones as well as data rates.
Majority of the people say that they have encountered fake news mostly on the YouTube
channel of mainstream Hindi news outlets.

Item 9: On mainstream Hindi newspaper's YOUTUBE CHANNEL, which

CATEGORY OF FAKE NEWS do you see the most? You can choose more than one
option.
Online Offline Percen
A. Politics Item Total
Responses Responses tage
9:
B. Communal hatred
C. Religion 14.5
A 54 418 472
D. Health %

E. Business/finance B 48 415 463 14%

F. Sports C 37 386 423 13%

G. World D 9 128 137 4%
H. Covid-19 Pandemic E 8 87 95 3%
I. Crime J.
F 4 86 90 2.5%
Film Industry
G 8 234 231 7%
K. Other
12.5
L. No, I have not encountered H 14 389 403
%
FA K E N E W S o n H i n d i
I 8 292 300 9%
newspaper's Youtube channel
10.5
M. NO, I don't watch Hindi J 18 325 343
%
newspaper's Youtube channel
Interpretation: YouTube is very K 7 155 162 5%

popular in India, so people’s response L 10 10 20 0.5%

to this question matters in view of fake M 49 28 77 2%

content present on the platform. Total 3216 100%
Results of the survey indicate that on
Table-15
YouTube too, three categories of fake
news dominate in India, which is Politics, Communal Hatred and Religion. Data of the

Page 204
 survey shows that on Hindi
newspaper’s YouTube channel,
14.5% fake news are related to
Politics, 14% to Communal
Hatred and 13% are related to
Religion. Further 12.5 fake
news are related to Covid-19
Pandemic. Only less than 1%
people say that they have not
seen fake news on Hindi
newspaper’s YouTube channel.

Chart-9

Item 10: For reading/watching ONLINE NEWS, which mainstream English Print
outlet's website do you prefer to visit most?

A. Times of India
B. Hindustan Times
C. The Hindu
D. Mumbai Mirror
E. The Telegraph
F. Deccan Herald
G. Deccan Chronicle
H. The Tribune
I. The Indian Express
J. The Pioneer
K. Other
L. No, I don't read/watch
Chart-10
news on mainstream

Page 205
 Item Online Offline English outlet's websites.
Total Percentage
10: Response Response

A 35 102 137 23% Interpretation: Data shows

that for reading online news,
B 23 83 106 18%
22.5% respondents prefer to
C 21 52 73 12%
visit the website of The Times
D 0 12 12 2%
of India. Another 18% visit
E 3 27 30 5%
Hindustan Times’ website and
F 0 14 14 2%
14% prefer to go the Indian
G 1 7 8 1%
Express’s website. Another
H 2 9 11 2%
12% go to the website of The
I 14 72 86 14%
Hindu. Also 15% respondents
J 2 6 8 1% say that they don’t read news
K 12 12 24 4% on English news outlets’
L 20 71 91 15% website.
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-16

Item 11. Do you watch YouTube channels of mainstream English Print outlets?
Which Print outlets’ YouTube channel you watch the most?

A. Yes. Hindustan Times

B. Yes. Times of India
C. Yes, The Telegraph
D. Yes, The Tribune
E. Yes. The Hindu
F. Yes, Deccan Herald
G. Yes. The Indian Express
H. Other
I. NO, I don't watch English
Newspaper's YouTube channel

Chart-11
Page 206
Interpretation: The data of this survey
Online Offline
shows that 18% respondents watch YouTube Item 11. Total
Response Response
channel of Hindustan Times. Another 17%
watch Times of India’s channel and 8% watch A 13 97 110

Indian Express’ YouTube channel. Also a B 11 96 107

significant number of 40% people say that C 0 17 17
they don’t watch English Newspaper's D 1 7 8
YouTube channel. It indicates that people E 7 22 29
prefer to watch Hindi news content on F 3 8 11
YouTube channel as only 16% respondents G 10 40 50
say that they don’t watch YouTube channel of
H 12 16 28
Hindi newspapers. (See Item number-7)
I 74 164 238

TOTAL 133 467 600

Table-17

Item 12. Do you encounter FAKE NEWS on mainstream English Print outlets'
online platform (Website/YouTube
channel)?

A . Yes, I have encountered FAKE

NEWS on English print outlets'
website/YouTube channel
B. NO, I have not encountered
FAKE NEWS on English print
outlets' website/YouTube channel
C. NO, I don't read/watch news on
English newspaper's website/
YouTube channel

Chart-12

Page 207
Interpretation: As the data indicates that
Item Online Offline Total Perce
majority of the people (48%) have 12. Response Response ntage
encountered fake news on mainstream
A 61 229 290 48%
English newspapers’ online platforms. Only
B 30 84 114 20%
small amount of people (20%) say that they
C 42 154 196 32%
have not encountered fake news there. A
Total 133 467 600 100
significant number (32%) of people don’t go
the English newspaper’s online platform to Table-18
consume news.

Item 13 . On mainstream English Print outlets' online platform (Website/YouTube

channel), which category of FAKE NEWS do you see the most? You can choose
more than one option.

A. Politics B. Communal hatred

C. Religion D. Health
E. Business/finance F. Sports
G. World
H. Covid-19 Pandemic
I. Crime
J. Film Industry
K. Other
L. NO, I have not
encountered FAKE NEWS
on English print outlets'
website/YouTube channel
M. NO, I don't read/watch
news on English
newspaper's website/
YouTube channel

Chart-13

Page 208
Interpretation: Data of the survey
Item Online Offline Percent
shows that people see fake news related Total
13. Responses Responses age
to Communal Hatred most (16%) on
A 49 59 108 14%
mainstream English print outlets' online
B 47 73 120 16%
platform (Website/YouTube channel).
Another 14% see fake news related to C 42 29 91 12%

Politics and 12% related to Religion. D 11 12 23 3%

Another 5% see Covid-19 related fake E 5 8 13 1.5%

news on these online platforms. F 2 6 8 1%
G 8 3 11 1%
Also a significant number of people,
H 22 18 40 5%
which is 15%, say that they have not
encountered fake news on English print I 4 12 16 2%

outlets' website or YouTube channel. J 11 14 25 3%

Another significant number (24%) say K 4 6 10 1%

that they don't read or watch news on L 34 84 118 15.5%

English newspaper's websites and M 27 154 181 24%
YouTube channels. Total 753 100%

Table-19

Item 14. Do you visit Television News outlets' English news website/app? Which TV
outlets' English news
website you visit the most?

A. India Today website

B. News18 English website
C. Zee News English website
D. ABP News English
website
E. India TV English website
F. Republic TV English
website

Chart-14

Page 209
 G. NewsX TV English website
Item Online Offline Perce
Total H. Times Now TV English website
14. Response Response ntage
I. NDTV English website
A 28 78 106 18% J. TV9 English website
B 3 12 15 3% K. DD News English website

C 6 21 27 5% L. Other

D 6 17 23 4% M. NO, I don't visit TV news outlets'

E 2 11 13 2% English website to read/watch news

F 2 26 28 5%
Interpretation: The respondents of the
G 0 9 9 2%
study opine that they visit NDTV English’s
H 3 19 22 4%
website the most which is approximately
I 26 87 113 19% 19%. Another 17.5% prefer to go to the
J 0 5 5 1% India Today’s website. Zee News and
K 1 16 17 3% Republic TV’s English’s website is liked by
L 4 4 8 1% 4.5% respondents. However a good majority
M 52 162 214 36% of respondents (35.6%) say that they don't
Total 133 467 600 visit TV news outlets' English website to
read/watch news.
Table-20

Item 15 . Do you encounter FAKE NEWS on Television News outlets' English news
website/App?

Item Online Offline Percen

A. YES, I have encountered FAKE Total
15. Response Response tage
NEWS on TV news outlet's English news
website A 74 329 403 67%
B. NO, I have not encountered FAKE
B. 7 31 38 6%
NEWS on TV news outlet's English news
website C. 52 107 159 27%
C . NO, I don't visit TV news outlet's
Total 133 467 600 100%
English websites to read/watch news.

Table-21

Page 210
Interpretation: The data
above shows that majority
of respondents (67%)
believe that they have
encountered fake news on
Television news outlet’s
English news website. Only
06% say that they have not
seen any fake news there.
Approximately one-third
(27%) of the respondents
say that they don’t visit TV
n e w s o u t l e t ’s E n g l i s h
website/App. Chart-15

Item 16. Do you visit ALTERNATIVE Item Online Offline Total

MEDIA'S ENGLISH News websites to 16. Response Response Response
consume news? From the following, A 25 115 140
which outlet you visit the most?
B 15 32 47

A . The Wire C 14 26 40

B. The Print D 7 31 38

C . The Quint E 3 26 29
F 3 13 16
D. OpIndia
G 4 17 21
E. Scroll
H 14 45 59
F. NewsClick
I 10 14 24
G. Mojo Story
J 38 148 186
H. Newslaundary
Total 133 467 600
I. Other

J. NO, I don't go to alternative media's Table-22

Page 211
 English news website to
consume news.

Interpretation: Data shows

that most of the respondents
(23%) go the Wire’s platform
to consume news in English
language. The second highest
number is (10%) for
Newslaundary’s platform.
Also 31% respondents don’t
go the alternative media's
English news website to

Chart-16 consume news.

Item 17. Have you encountered FAKE NEWS on ALTERNATIVE ENGLISH news
media's online platforms?

A . YES, I have encountered

FAKE NEWS on alternative
English news outlets' online
platform

B. NO, I don't encounter

FAKE NEWS on alternative
English media outlets' online
platform

C. NO, I don't go to
alternative media's English
news website to consume
news.
Chart-17

Page 212
 Item Online Offline Percen
Interpretation: This study’s 38%
Total
17. Response Response tage respondents say that they have
encountered fake news on alternative
A 79 147 226 38%
English news outlets and 19% say
B 30 86 116 19% that they don’t encounter fake news

C 24 234 258 43% there. A significant number of people

(43%) say that they don’t go to
Total 133 467 600 100%
alternative media’s English news
Table-23 website to consume news.

Item 18 . Do you visit ALTERNATIVE MEDIA'S HINDI news websites to consume

news?

Item Online Offline Percent

Total
18. Response Response age

A 95 385 480 80%

B 38 82 120 20%

Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-24

A.YES, I go to alternative media’s Hindi

news websites.

Chart-18 B.NO, I don't go there to consume news

Interpretation: This study’s majority of the respondents (80%) go to Hindi language

platform to consume news. Only 20% say that they don’t go there.

Item 19. Have you encountered FAKE NEWS on alternative HINDI news media's
online platforms? Examples of alternative Hindi Media: The Wire, The Print etc.

Page 213
Item Online Offline Total Percen
19. Response Response tage

A 72 281 353 59%

B 31 104 135 22%

C 30 82 112 19%
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-25

A . YES, I have encountered FAKE

NEWS on alternative media’s HINDI
news outlet

B. NO, I have not encountered FAKE Chart-19

NEWS on alternative media’s
HINDI news outlet.

C. NO, I don't go to alternative media's HINDI news websites to read news.

Interpretation: Majority of the respondents (59%) say that they have encountered fake
news on alternative media’s HINDI news outlet. One-fifth (22%) respondents claim that
they have not encountered fake news on their platform. Another 19% say that they don’t
go to there to consume news.

Item 20. On alternative media's Hindi/English news website, which category of fake
news you encounter the most? You can choose more than one options.

A. Politics B. Communal hatred

C. Religion D. Health
E. Business/finance F. Sports
G. World H. Covid-19 Pandemic
I. Crime J. Film Industry
K. Other
L. NO, I don't encounter FAKE NEWS on alternative HINDI/ENGLISH news
outlets' online platform
M. NO, I don't go to alternative HINDI/ENGLISH news outlets to read news.

Page 214
Interpretation: The data of
Item Online Offline Perce
the study shows that on Total
20. Response Response ntage
alternative media's Hindi/
English news website, A 53 85 138 10

maximum number of B 64 87 151 11

respondents (11%) sees fake C 39 75 114 8.5
news related to Communal D 8 42 50 3.5
Hatred. Another 10% sees fake E 3 58 61 4.5
news related to Politics which F 2 55 57 4
is second highest in number. G 9 67 76 5.5
Fake news related to Religion
H 17 73 90 6.5
has been seen by 8.5%
I 7 59 66 4.5
respondents. Finance and
J 18 61 79 5.5
Crime related fake news has
K 7 36 43 3
been noticed by 4.5%
L 27 146 173 12.5
M 22 230 252 18.5
Total 1350 100

Table-26

respondents. Covid-19
related fake news is
being noticed by 6.5%
respondents. 12.5%
respondents say that
they have not
encountered fake news
on alternate Hindi/
English news outlets'
online platform.

Chart-20

Page 215
Item 21. Do you watch Television News (via Satellite/online)? How much time do
you spend on it daily?

A. Yes , 15-30 minutes

B. Yes 30-45 minutes

C . Yes 45-60 minutes

D. Yes more than 60 minute

E. No, I don't watch TV news

(via Satellite or online )

Item Online Offline

Total
21. Response Response

A 43 168 211
Chart-21
B 25 130 155
C 15 119 134 Interpretation: Data shows that 35%
respondents watch Television news for 15-30
D 15 40 55
minutes. Another 26% watch it for 30-45
E 35 10 45
minutes and 22% say that they do it for 45-60
Total 133 467 600
minutes. Only 7.5% say that they don’t watch
Table-27 TV news.

Item 22. Which HINDI NEWS CHANNEL do you watch most of the time?

A. TV9 Bharatvarsh B. India TV

C . Aaj Tak D. News18 India

E . Republic Bharat F. Zee News

G . Times Now Navbharat H. ABP News

I . News Nation J. NDTV India

Page 216
K. DD News
Item Online Offline Total
L. Sudarshan TV 22. Response Response Response

M. Other A 4 45 49

B 5 47 52
N. I don't watch Hindi news channels
C 23 70 93
O. No, I don't watch TV news (via Satellite
D 4 20 24
or online )
E 7 50 57
Interpretation: Data shows that most F 7 31 38
respondents of the study (19%) watch NDTV G 2 32 34
India Hindi news channel. The second H 11 38 49
highest number of respondents (15.5%) I 1 9 10
watches Aaj Tak. Third place has been J 42 74 116
occupied by Republic Bharat and 9.5%
K 8 9 17
respondents see it most of the time. TV9
L 1 11 12
M 1 7 8
N 5 14 19
O 22 10 32
Total 133 467 600

Table-28

Bharatavarsh, India TV
and ABP News is the
choice of nearly 8%
respondents each. Zee
News is the choice of 6%
respondents and Times
Now Navbharat is being
watched by 5.6%
respondents.

Chart-22

Page 217
Item 23. Have you seen any news story on a Hindi news channel, which was fake
and later it was debunked by independent fact-check outlet/mainstream news
outlet’s fact-check section?
Item Online Offline Total
23. Response Response Response
A. Yes, I have seen it and later it was
debunked A 81 369 450

B 22 74 96
B. No, I have not seen such stories on Hindi
TV News channels C 9 14 23
D 21 10 31
C. I don't watch Hindi news channels
Total 133 467 600
D. No, I don't watch TV news (via Satellite
Table-29
or online )

I n t e r p re t a t i o n :
This study’s 75%
respondents say
that they have seen
news story on
Hindi news
channels, which
was fake and later
it was debunked by
independent fact-
check/mainstream
news outlet’s fact-
check section. Only
16% say that they
have not seen any
such story on TV
news channel.
Chart-23
Nearly 4% say that
they don’t watch Hindi news channels.

Page 218
Item 24. Which English news channel you watch most of the time?

A . CNN News 18
Item Online Offline Total
24. Response Response
B. Republic TV
A 6 32 38
C. Times Now
B 6 82 88
C 7 50 57 D. India Today TV

D 12 55 67 E . DD India
E 10 32 42
F . NDTV 24x7
F 32 105 137
G 1 12 13 G . News X
H 6 15 21
H . Other
I 27 74 101
I . I don't watch English news channels
J 26 10 36
Total 133 467 600 J . No, I don't watch TV news (via Satellite or
online
Table-30

Interpretation: The
maximum number of
respondents (22%) says
that they wach
NDTV24x7 English news
channel most of the time.
Second position is
acquired by Republic TV
( 1 4 % ) . I n d i a To d a y
English news channel is
being watch by 11%
respondents, which comes
third in respondent’s
choice. Nearly 17%
Chart-24

Page 219
respondents say that they don’t watch English news channels. Public broadcaster DD
India is the choice of 7% respondents.

Item 25. Have you seen any news story on an English news channel, which was
FAKE and later it was debunked by independent fact-check outlet/mainstream news
outlet’s fact-check section?
Item Online Offline
A. Yes, I have seen it and later it was debunked Total
25. Response Response

B. No, I have not seen such fake stories on A 46 241 287

English News channel. B 37 141 178

C. I don't watch English news channels C 22 74 96

D 29 10 39
D. No, I don't watch TV news (via Satellite or
Total 133 467 600
online )
Table-31

Interpretation:
Nearly 48%
respondents say that
they have seen news
stories on English
news channel, which
was fake and later
debunked by
independent fact-
check/mainstream
news outlets’ fact-
check section. Nearly
30% respondents don’t
agree with this and
16% don’t watch
English news channels.
Chart-25

Page 220
Item 26. On HINDI Television news channels, you see fake news related to which
category most? You can choose more
than one option.
Item Online Offline Percenta
Total
26 Response Response ge
A. Politics
B. Communal hatred A 75 260 335 17%

C. Religion B 75 285 360 18.5%

D. Health C 58 173 231 12%
E. Business/finance D 19 72 91 4.5%
F. Sports E 11 128 139 7%
G. World F 3 15 18 1%
H. Covid-19 Pandemic G 16 23 39 2%
I. Crime
H 27 139 166 8.5%
II. J. Film Industry
I 13 183 196 10%
K. Other
J 21 196 217 11%
L . No, I have not seen fake stories on
K 7 17 34 2%
Hindi news channels
L 7 61 68 3.5%
M 5 14 19 1%
N 15 10 25 1%
Total 1938 100%

Table-32

M . I don't watch Hindi news

channels
N . No, I don't watch TV news
(via Satellite or online

Interpretation: Data shows

that maximum number of
respondents (18.5%) see fake
news related to communal
Chart-26

Page 221
 hatred the most on Hindi news channels. Second slot goes to fake news related to
politics (17%) and third slot occupies fake news related to religion (12%). Fake news
related to Bollywood and Crime has got 11% and 10% share.

Item 27. On ENGLISH Television news channels, you see fake news related to which
category the most? You can choose more than one option.

A. Politics
Item Online Offline Percen
B. Communal hatred Total
27. Response Response tage
C. Religion
A 55 246 301 18
D. Health
B 55 295 350 21
E. Business/finance
C 43 197 240 14
F. Sports
D 11 36 47 2.5
G. World
H. Covid-19 Pandemic E 7 25 32 2

Crime F 5 20 25 1.5

J. Film Industry G 9 40 49 3

K. Other H 16 80 96 5.5

L . No, I have not seen fake stories on I 5 123 128 7.5

J 20 201 221 13
K 6 9 15 0.5
L 17 25 42 2.5
M 19 74 93 5.5
N 18 10 28 1.5
Total 1667 100

Table-33

English news channels

M. I don't watch English news
channels
N . No, I don't watch TV news (via
Satellite or online )
Chart-27

Page 222
 Interpretation: Our respondents say that on English TV news channels, highest
number of fake news (21%) are related to communal hatred. The second highest
number of fake news (18%) are from the Politics category and third highest number of
fake news are in Religion (14%) category. Fourth highest number of fake news (13%)
are from Film Industry category.

Item 28. Which social networking site you visit the most?

A . Facebook B . Instagram

C . Twitter D. YouTube

E . Others F . I don’t use social media platforms

Online Offline
Item 28. Total
Response Response

A 58 145 203

B 23 107 130

C 23 65 88

D 24 111 135

E 3 21 24

F 3 18 21

Total 133 467 600

Table-34 Chart-28

Interpretation: Our 34% respondents say that they mostly visit Facebook. The second
highest number of respondents (22.5%) visit YouTube and third highest number of
respondents (21.6% ) visit Instagram. Twitter is the choice of 14.6% respondents and
3.5% respondent say that they don’t use social media platforms.

Page 223
Item 29. Do you encounter fake news on social networking sites? If yes, on which
site do you see it most? You can choose more than one options from below.

A . Yes, On Facebook mostly

B . Yes, On Instagram mostly

C . Yes On Twitter mostly

D . Yes On Youtube mostly

E . Yes on other Platforms

F . No, I don’t
encounter fake news on
social networking sites

G . I don’t use social

networking sites

Chart-29

Interpretation: The highest number of Item Online Offline Percen

Total
29. Response Response tage
respondents (29%) say that they
encounter fake news mostly on A 90 316 406 29%
Facebook. The second highest number of
B 17 221 238 17%
respondents (27%) say that they get it on
C 32 203 235 17%
YouTube. Instagram and Twitter has
D 48 331 379 27%
equal share as 17% respondents have
opted each respectively. Only 2% E 13 70 83 6%

respondent don’t see fake news on social F 9 23 32 2%

media and 1.5% don’t use any social G 4 18 22 1.5%

media platforms.
Total 1395 100%

Table-35

Page 224
Item 30. Which messaging app you use regularly?

A . Whatsapp B . We Chat

C . FB Messenger D . Telegram

E . Snapchat F . Hike

G . Line H . Viber

I . JioChat J . Skype

K . Imo L . Other

M . I don’t use messaging app platforms

Item Online Offline Total

30. Response Response

A 123 403 526

B 2 5 7

C 0 5 5

D 1 12 13

E 1 3 4

F 0 7 7

G 1 2 3

H 0 3 3

I 0 4 4

J 0 0 0

K 1 9 10

L 3 3 6

M 1 11 12

Total 133 467 600

Chart-30 Table-36

Page 225
 Interpretation: Nearly 88% respondents say that they use WhatsApp regularly.
Telegram is the choice of 2% respondents and imo is liked by 1.6% respondents. Only
2% respondents say that they don’t use messaging apps.

Item 31. You see fake news on which messaging app the most? You can choose more
than one options from below.

Item Online Offline

A. Whatsapp Total Percentage
31. Response Response

B. WeChat
A 95 417 512 53
C. FB Messenger
B 2 14 16 2
D. Telegram
C 10 154 164 17
E. Snapchat
D 7 140 147 15
F. Hike
E 2 17 19 2

G. Line F 0 17 17 2

H. Viber G 1 11 12 1

H 1 18 19 2
I. JioChat
I 1 12 13 1
J. Skype
J 0 0 0 0
K. imo
K 0 23 23 2
L. Other
L 3 22 25 2.5
M. No, I don’t encounter fake news M 7 4 11 1
on messaging apps
N 4 0 4 0.5
N. I don’t use messaging app Total 982 100%
platforms
Table-37

Page 226
 Interpretation: Data
shows that 52%
respondents see fake news
mostly on WhatsApp.
Another 16.5% have seen it
on Facebook messenger
and Telegram is in the third
spot, where 15%
respondents see fake news.
Only 1% respondents say
that they have not
encountered fake news on
messaging apps. Also 0.5%
respondents don’t use these
platforms.

Chart-31

Item 32. How do you identify that the concerned story on social networking site or
messaging app platforms is fake
news? Item Online Offline Perce
Total
32. Response Response ntage
A. By researching myself offline or
online A 68 233 301 50%

B 32 136 168 28%

B. By visiting online independent fake
C 12 52 64 10%
news debunking outlets to verify
D 14 12 26 5%
C. By visiting mainstream news media
E 7 34 41 7%
outlet’s online ‘fact check’ section to
Total 133 467 600 100%
verify
Table-38

Page 227
 D.By checking social media
platform’s special feature
where others users can flag
or report it as fake news.

E.I can’t identify fake news

Interpretation: Data shows

that 50% of the respondents
identify fake news by
researching themselves
offline or online. Another
28% go to independent fact-
Chart-32 check outlets to verify it.
Again 10.5% go to
mainstream news outlet’s fact-check section. Our 7% respondents say that they can’t
identify fake news.

Item 33. Which genre of fake news do you encounter the most on social media
(Social Networking sites and messaging apps)? You can choose more than one
options from below.

A. Politics B. Communal hatred

C. Religion D. Health
E. Business/finance F. Sports
G. World H. Covid-19 Pandemic
I. Crime J. Film Industry
K. Other
L . I don’t encounter fake news there
M . I don’t use social media

Page 228
Item Online Offline Total Percentage I n t e r p r e t a t i o n : Our
33 Response Response respondents say that they

A 87 305 392 13% encounter fake news on social

media platforms mostly related
B 99 354 453 15%
to communal hatred (15%)
C 76 283 359 11.5%
category. Covid-19 Pandemic
D 32 54 86 3%
related stories are second highest
E 11 136 147 4.5%
(14%) in number and fake news
F 5 158 163 5%
related to Politics as well as
G 12 230 242 8% Crime is third highest in number
H 31 393 424 14% (13% each). Respondents say
I 15 379 394 13% that fake news related to
J 25 281 306 10% Religion is 11.5% and fake news
K 12 17 29 1% related to film industry is 10%.
L 3 25 28 1% One percent users say that they

M 3 29 32 1% don’t use social media.

Total 3055 100%

Table-39

Chart-33

Page 229
Item 34. Do you share stories on the social media even after knowing it as fake
news?
A. Yes, I always share it
Item Online Offline Perce
Total B. Yes, I share it but often
34. Response Response ntage
C. No, I don’t share such stories after
A 7 27 34 6% identifying it as fake
D. Can’t say
B 9 44 53 9%
E. I don’t encounter fake news on social
C 108 346 454 76%
media
D 4 25 29 5%

E 4 25 29 5%

Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-40

Chart-34
Interpretation:
Majority of our respondents, 75.6% say that they don’t share stories after identifying it
as fake. Nearly 9% say that they often share it. Another 5.6% say that they always share
fake stories.

Page 230
Item 35. If you share stories identified as fake on social media platforms, why you
do so?
Item Online Offline Total Percen
A. Because it suits my ideological
35. Response Response tage
inclination
B. Because it destroys the reputation of A 7 42 49 8%
the opponents of my political/
B 2 18 20 3%
ideological inclination
C. I share the stories I like, doesn’t C 3 11 14 2%

matter its fake or authentic D 8 25 32 5%

D. Can’t say
E 109 346 455 76%
E. No, I don't share stories identified as
F 4 25 29 5%
fake.
F. I don’t encounter fake news on Total 133 467 600 100%
social media
Table-41

Interpretation:
Overwhelming majority
of respondents say that
they don’t share stories
identified as fake on
their social media
platforms. Another 8%
say that they share fake
stories because it suits
their ideological
inclination. Rest 3%
respondents opine that
they share fake stories
as it destroys the
Chart-35
reputation of the
opponent of their political/ideological inclination.

Page 231
Item 36. Do you know about special features of social media platforms, which give
users the ability to Tag/Flag/Report a story as ‘fake’? Do you use it?

A. Yes I know about it and I use Item Online Offline Total Percent

it as well 36. Response Response age

B. Yes I know about it but I A 59 113 172 29%

don’t use it
B 25 86 111 18%
C. Yes I know about it but I
C 9 144 153 26%
don’t know how to use it
D 34 117 151 25%
D. No, I don’t know about it
E 6 7 13 2%
E. Can’t say
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-42

Interpretation: Data
shows that 29%
respondents say that
they know about
special features of
social media
platforms, which give
users the ability to tag
a story as ‘fake’ and
they use it. Another
19% respondents
opine that they know
Chart-36 about this feature but
don’t use it. Another
26% respondents say that thought they know this feature but they are not aware how
to use it. Some 25% respondent also said that they don’t know about this feature.

Page 232
Item 37. Which social media platform has the best feature to tag a story as 'fake'?
A . Facebook Item Online Offline Total Percen
B . Instagram 37. Response Response tage

C . Twitter A 49 164 213 36%

D . Youtube
B 4 20 24 4%
E . Others
C 26 88 114 19%
F . Can't say
D 5 27 32 5%
G . I don’t know about this feature
E 2 33 35 6%
F 28 17 45 8%
G 19 117 136 23%
Tota 133 467 600
l

Table-43

I n t e r p re t a t i o n :
Maximum number
of users (36%) say
that Facebook has
the best feature to
tag a story as fake
whereas 19% claim
that Twitter has the
best feature in this
Chart-37
regard. Only 4%
respondents opted for Instagram and 5% chose YouTube. Another 22.6% say that they
don’t know about this feature.

Page 233
Item 38. Have you ever tagged/reported fake stories on social media by using this
feature?
A. Yes, I have tagged/reported such fake stories
B. No, I know tagging but have not done it so far
C. I don’t know how to use this feature
D. I am not aware about this feature

Item Online Offline Total Percent Interpretation: Nearly 29%%

38. Response Response age
respondents say that they have reported
fake stories found on social media.
A 56 120 176 29%
Another 21% say that they know this
B 38 90 128 21% feature but have not used it so far.
Nearly 27% say that they don’t know
C 20 140 160 27%
how to use this feature. And 23%
D 19 117 136 23% respondents say that they don’t know
about this feature at all.
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-44

Chart-38

Page 234
Item 39. In your opinion, which independent fact-check outlet debunks the fake
stories more convincingly which in turn influences you about the authenticity of the
debunking?
Item Online Online Percent
A . Vishvas News Total
39. Response Response age
B . Boom live
A 4 17 21
C . SM Hoax Slayer
B 12 36 48
D . Factcheker
C 0 11 11
E . Alt News
F . Factly D 5 16 21

G . Factcrescendo E 54 175 229

H . Digiteye F 1 5 6

I . Other G 1 6 7

J . don't go to independent fact-check H 2 4 6

outlets, so can't say I 18 69 87
J 36 128 164
Total 133 467 600

Table-45

Interpretation: Nearly 38%

respondents say that Alt
News debunks fake stories
more convincingly. Another
8% likes the debunking of
Boom and 4% goes in
favour of Vishvas News.
Nearly 2% like the
debunking of SM Hoax

Chart-39 Slayer. A large chunk of

respondents (27%) say that
they don’t go to independent fact-check outlets.

Page 235
Item 40. What attracts you to your favourite independent fact-check outlet?
A. Their selection of stories to be debunked
B. Their methodology to debunk a story
Item Online Offline Percen
C. Their presentation of debunked stories Total
40. Response Response tage
D. More number of stories/viral videos
A 32 117 149 24%
debunked compared to other outlets
E. I don't go to independent fact-check B 34 103 137 23%
outlet’s websites, so can't say C 15 52 67 11%

D 16 67 83 14%

E 36 128 164 28%

Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-46

Interpretation:
Data shows 24%
respondents say
that independent
fact-check
outlet’s selection
of debunked
stories attracts
them to go to
their platform.
Another 22% say
Chart-40 that their
methodology of
debunking stories are good and 11% respondents go with the presentation of debunked
stories. Another 13% say that they go to their favourite independent fact-check outlet
because they debunk more stories compared to others fact-check outlets. 28%
respondents opine that they don’t visit independent fact-check outlet.

Page 236
Item 41. Do you think that independent fact-check outlets’ (eg. Alt News or Vishwas
News etc.) approach is objective and unbiased in the selection of fake or viral stories
to be debunked?

Item Online Offline Perce A. Completely agree about their unbiased

Total
41. Response Response ntage approach

A 35 117 152 25% B. Partially agree about their unbiased

approach
B 45 145 190 32%
C. Don’t agree about their unbiased
C 17 77 94 16% approach

D 36 128 164 27% D. I don't go to independent fact-check

outlet’s website, so can't say
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-47

Interpretation: This
survey’s majority of
the respondents say
that the Independent
fact-check outlet’s
approach is not
objective and
unbiased. Nearly
25% people
completely agree
with it. Another 32%
partially agree about Chart-41
it and 16% don’t
agree on it. Nearly one-third, 27% respondents don’t go to fact-check outlet’s platform.

Page 237
Item 42. Do you know about Media literacy? Will you call yourself media literate?

Item Online Offline Percent

A. Yes, know about media literacy and Total
42. Response Response age
I am Media literate
A 99 252 351 52%
B. Yes, know about it but I am not
media literate B 14 185 199 30%

C. Don’t know about media literacy C 12 72 84 13%

D. Can't say. D 8 30 38 6%
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-48

Chart-42

Interpretation: Majority of our respondents (58.5%) say that they know about media
literacy and they consider themselves as Media Literate. Another 33% opined that they
know about media literacy but don’t consider themselves as Media Literate. Nearly 14%
respondents say that they don’t know about media literacy.

Page 238
Item 43. Do you think that news outlets’ journalists spread fake news on social
media?
A.Yes, I have encountered such
Item Online Offline Percent
Total incidents
43. Response Response age
B.No, I haven’t seen them spreading
A 102 416 518 86%
fake news
B 15 26 41 7%
C.Can’t say
C 16 25 41 7%
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-49

Interpretation: Overwhelming
number of respondents (86%) opines
that mainstream news outlet’s
journalists spread fake news and they
have encountered such incidents.
Only 6.8% respondents think that
mainstream news outlet’s journalists
don’t spread fake news. Another
6.8% respondents are undecided on Chart-43

the issue.

Item 44. If given a chance, will you

avail the opportunity to learn the Item Online Offline Percent
Total
44. Response Response age
fact-check skills?
A. Yes, I will certainly learn it A 109 316 425 71%

B. Yes, but I am not sure about it B 10 127 137 22%

C. No, I am not interested C 6 11 17 3%
D. Can't say
D 8 13 21 4%
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-50

Page 239
 Interpretation: Nearly 71%
respondents say that if given the
opportunity, they will learn the
fact-check skills. Another 22% say
that they would like to learn it but
are not sure about it. Only 2.8%
respondents are not interested in
learning fact-check skills and 3.5%
are undecided on this.

Chart-44

Item 45. Do you think that fake news and the art of fact-check should be included in
the syllabus of school education?
Item Online Offline Percen
Total
A. Yes, it is necessary 45. Response Response tage
B. Yes, but I am not sure about it
A 112 423 535 89%

B 14 26 40 7%
C 2 5 7 1%
D 5 13 18 3%
Total 133 467 600 100%

Table-51

C.No, it is not necessary

D.Can’t say

Chart-45

Page 240
Interpretation: Data shows 70.5% respondents think that it is necessary to include fake
news and fact-check skills in the syllabus of school education. However 4.3%
respondents are not sure about it. Only 0.8% respondents opine that it is not necessary
and 2% are undecided on the issue.

6.10 : SUMMARY

This Survey Analysis and findings are eye opener in the Indian context. Respondents
state that they are witnessing fake news on Mainstream TV, Online, and Alternate news
outlets’ platform. When they encounter fake news, they prefer to search for themselves to
find the authentic facts online. Few of them go the independent Fact-Chek outlets to see
debunked stories related to the fake story. Facebook and WhatsApp is taking the lead in
online fake news propagation in India. The Tag or Report or Flag feature of the social
media platforms are not working on the ground. Most of the people know about them but
they are unable to find them on the concerned platforms. Fake news related to Politics,
Communal Hatred and Religion are found on all the news outlets’ platform and social
media platforms.

The next chapter discusses the In-depth interviews of TV, Online and Fact-Check outlets’
Editors. The chapter explores an important research question of the study, which enquires
that why mainstream news outlets of the country are disseminating fake news by
compromising with their credibility ? The chapter talks about the news verification
process of the newsroom in contemporary times, self regulation of media and legal
framework of the country to counter fake news effectively. It also answers some
important research questions of the study.

—————————————-—————————————————————

Page 241