Capacity building workshop on the Pandemic of Fake News held in Lucknow University Mass Communication Students

Mass Communication students of Lucknow University learnt the sensitivities of reporting during a capacity building workshop on the 'Pandemic of Fake News' organized jointly by Lucknow University and UNICEF on Monday. The students learnt how to identify fake news and counter it from the experts.

The initiative is part of a series of workshops and activities planned by Lucknow University's Journalism and Mass Communication Department, Social Works Department and UNICEF to expand the understanding of students on child rights and development issues, and to help them approach such issues with sensitivity, depth and through the proper use of data.

Mr Varadarajan Ananthakrishnan, Resident Editor of Health Analytics Asia talked about fake news and medical misinformation with students. He said, "Whenever we see a suspicious piece of information on COVID, we should go to the claimed source and verify its authenticity before forwarding it to others."

The students also learnt about the impact on fake news on Indian media from Ms Sarvapriya Sangwan, You tube Editor Indian Languages BBC world service . Addressing the students she said, "It is important to verify a piece of information from multiple sources to make sure it is accurate. Not doing so propagates misinformation and is detrimental to our credibility as journalists."

Prof Mukul Srivastava, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Lucknow University said, "It is very important for budding journalists to develop an understanding and sensitivity for issues before they step into the media world. They must learn the importance of data and facts in reporting and make it a habit to always cross check information from authentic sources before releasing it for public. I am sure these workshops will help students understand their responsibilities towards the society as journalists when they start their careers."

The students interacted with the experts and got an insight into the mainstream media. Geetanjali Mishra Associate Professor Department of Zoology Lucknow University moderated the session and Prof. Anoop Kumar Bhartiya Head, Department of Social Works, Lucknow University delivered the vote of thanks.