In an age when information travels faster than truth, misinformation has become a stubborn part of our daily reality. Every week, false narratives are crafted, shared, and reshared across social media, often with the power to mislead thousands of people before anyone stops to ask a simple question: Is this real? This week, the fact-checking team at Newschecker found itself untangling a web of viral claims, some seemingly harmless and others deeply dangerous. From a fabricated video that appeared to show the newly appointed Chief of the Indian Air Force celebrating his promotion with a drink in hand, to a series of misleading clips surrounding a protest in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the week offered a stark reminder of how easily public perception can be shaped by manipulated content. The common thread running through all these cases is not just the falsehood itself, but the way these claims exploit existing tensions, prejudices, and moments of public attention. In a world where a single video can go viral in minutes and reach millions, the work of verifying facts has never been more essential. But behind every false claim, there are real people, real reputations, and real consequences, which is why it is so important to pause, reflect, and check before we share.
One of the most striking examples this week involved Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the newly appointed Chief of the Indian Air Force. A video began circulating online, supposedly showing him making short videos, or reels, while holding a glass of alcohol, with social media users claiming that he was celebrating his appointment in an inappropriate manner. The implication was clear: that a senior military officer, someone entrusted with the highest levels of national security, was behaving in a way that was unprofessional and unbecoming of his position. The video spread quickly, and for many viewers, it seemed to confirm a story about arrogance or carelessness at the top of the armed forces. But when Newschecker investigated the footage, the claim fell apart. The video was found to be unrelated to Air Marshal Dixit altogether. It did not show him at all, and the narrative attached to it was entirely false. Yet the damage of such a claim is not measured only by its accuracy. Even after being debunked, the suspicion lingers in the minds of those who saw it. A military officer’s reputation, built over decades of service and sacrifice, can be tarnished in a single moment by a misleading video. This case is a reminder that misinformation is not a victimless crime. It attacks the dignity of individuals, especially those in public service, and it erodes public trust in institutions that deserve respect and confidence.
The second major fact-check of the week took us into the world of international politics and digital manipulation. A video surfaced online purportedly showing Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of copying what was described as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s playbook. According to the viral claim, Lapid was allegedly saying that Netanyahu was using the Flydubai incident as a campaign narrative ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections, just as Modi had supposedly used the 2019 Pulwama attack to boost his electoral prospects. It was a compelling story, one that connected two seemingly distant political figures and suggested a cynical pattern of using national tragedies for political gain. But again, the truth was very different. Newschecker’s investigation revealed that the video had been doctored. The words attributed to Lapid were not his own, and the footage had been manipulated to fit a false narrative. This case highlights a particularly troubling aspect of modern misinformation: the ease with which audio and video can be altered to put words into people’s mouths. Political leaders, journalists, and ordinary citizens alike are increasingly vulnerable to deepfakes and edited clips that appear authentic but are completely fabricated. When such content is shared in the context of elections, it can influence public opinion, deepen political divisions, and create misunderstandings between nations. The fact that so many people were willing to believe the claim without questioning its authenticity is a sign of how polarized and distrustful our public discourse has become.
Returning to domestic events, the week also saw a wave of misinformation connected to a protest organised by the group known as Citizens for Justice and Peace, or CJP, at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10. The protest was directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with demonstrators demanding his removal over alleged irregularities in voter rolls. As the protest drew attention, social media became flooded with videos and images that were presented as evidence of chaos, hidden agendas, and foreign interference. One such video was shared with the claim that it showed illegal immigrants raising Bangladeshi flags during the CJP protest in Maharashtra’s Virar. The suggestion was that the protest was not really about electoral integrity, but rather a plot by outsiders and undocumented migrants to destabilise India. The video quickly became a talking point among those who wanted to discredit the protest movement. But when Newschecker looked into the footage, the claim turned out to be false. The video was actually from an advertisement shoot, completely unrelated to the protest or to any political movement. Yet the false narrative had already served its purpose. It played on deep anxieties about immigration, national identity, and demographic change, and it painted a protest movement as being infiltrated by foreign elements. Such misinformation is especially dangerous because it can turn legitimate civic action into a target of suspicion and hatred, while also inflaming communal tensions that are already simmering beneath the surface of public life.
Another set of misleading videos tried to create the impression that the CJP protest was about to be met with counter-demonstrations by Hindutva groups. The videos showed large groups of people carrying saffron flags, and social media users claimed that these were Hindu organisations heading to Jantar Mantar to oppose the CJP agitation. The implied message was that the protest would lead to a confrontation, with two rival camps facing off in the heart of Delhi. Such a scenario would naturally raise fears of violence, and sharing these videos helped create an atmosphere of tension and anticipation. But Newschecker investigated two such videos and found that they were entirely unrelated to the CJP protest. The footage had been taken from older events, possibly from completely different parts of the country, and had been repackaged with new captions to fit the current situation. This is a classic tactic in the world of misinformation: take old material, strip it of its original context, and present it as fresh evidence of an unfolding crisis. The result is that public attention is diverted from the real issues at hand, and the possibility of dialogue and understanding is replaced by fear, anger, and the expectation of conflict. In this case, the false videos did not just mislead people; they also risked putting actual lives in danger by encouraging people to believe that a violent clash was imminent.
Finally, one of the most bizarre fact-checks of the week involved a video that appeared to show a woman protester at the CJP’s anti-CEC stir. The video showed a woman wearing a top and shorts, standing in front of a bus, and it was shared with the claim that she was participating in the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar. The implication seemed to be that the protest was attracting inappropriate or attention-seeking participants, and the video was used to mock and discredit the movement. However, Newschecker found that the video was not real. It was generated using artificial intelligence, a so-called deepfake designed to look like authentic footage but with no basis in reality. This particular case is a disturbing example of how AI technology is being used to manufacture fake evidence for political purposes. The woman in the video did not exist, or at least the scene itself was a fabrication, and yet the video was shared by many as proof of something that never happened. The use of AI-generated content in this way represents a new frontier in misinformation, one that poses serious challenges for fact-checkers, journalists, and the public. As technology becomes more sophisticated, the line between real and fake becomes harder to draw, and the need for critical thinking becomes even more urgent. The woman in the video was not just a subject of falsehood; she was a tool used to undermine a protest, and her digital likeness was weaponised without consent. This is what misinformation looks like in the twenty-first century: not just lies, but carefully constructed illusions designed to manipulate emotions and shape political outcomes. In the end, the lesson from all these fact-checks is simple. We must approach every viral video with skepticism, every shocking claim with curiosity, and every shared post with a sense of responsibility. The truth may not always be easy to find, but it is always worth looking for.