Exploring the Alt News Phenomenon: A Case Study of One of India’s Most Prominent Fact-Checking Campaigns

Rositta Joseph Valiyamattam  
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, U.K.

^{Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 4, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n4.06
Full-Text PDF Issue Access}
Abstract

The AI-powered digital revolution of the 21st-century world has greatly exacerbated the problem of fake news, which has been a menace to humankind since ancient times. Misinformation and disinformation have infiltrated every sphere of contemporary human life, causing immense damage in the social, political and economic arenas. In this context, various humanities and social sciences disciplines have taken up the challenge of combating fake news. Numerous studies have found that instead of mere damage control, preventive education against fake news proves to be much more effective (for instance, Nolan Higdon’s The Anatomy of Fake News: A Critical News Literacy Education, 2020). This paper presents an analytical case study of Alt News, one of India’s most prominent fact-checking and anti-fake news campaigns. Its co-founders were nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for their courageous journalism in the face of tremendous political pressure. Interestingly, Alt News has initiated a media and digital literacy campaign by harnessing various humanities and social sciences disciplines, starting with curricular interventions in schools and colleges. While performing a SWOT analysis of Alt News, this paper seeks to highlight interdisciplinary humanities and social science educational initiatives that can help control and potentially end the fake news phenomenon.

Keywords: fake news, fact-checking, media/digital literacy, Alt News, combating fake news in India, critical humanities and social science education.