The month of September saw Congress leader Rahul Gandhi emerge as the biggest target of false or misleading claims, as per an analysis of all our fact-checks from the month.
BOOM did 100 fact-checks last month, one for each unique claim that were fact-checked as false or misleading. This number was arrived at after taking into consideration the exclusive fact-checks we did in English and Hindi.
BOOM receives requests from social media users to fact-check posts and messages through multiple channels - a WhatsApp tipline, a WhatsApp helpline, and tags on social media with requests to fact-check posts.
Additionally, we also monitor accounts of prominent social media users - while keeping a close eye on those who have been known to spread mis/disinformation on a regular basis - and also look at posts with trending hashtags.
Finally, we choose the claims to fact-check based on careful consideration along several factors - such as virality and the potential for incitement of violence. This is how we arrived at 100 fact-checks on 100 different claims.
Apart From Gandhi, Who Else Were Targetted?
Out of the 41 different targets such claims that we identified, Gandhi was targeted by nearly 12 per cent of all such claims we fact-checked throughout the month. Half of these claims were made using doctored images or videos to mislead people into believing that Gandhi made errors while speaking, or performed an act that would be interpreted...
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