Beware of Rumour and Fake News on Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik

In yet another case of yellow journalism, which put a serious question mark on the credibility of mushrooming number of websites and news portals, a “news portal” from South India, Narada News, was caught planting a fake story on Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s health conditions.

The story was deliberated planted by some vested interests in Odisha. On February 17, the website posted a news that CM Naveen Patnaik was ill and would go to Michigan (USA) for a liver transplant. The website also shamelessly talked about Naveen Patnaik.

Some people in Odisha used that manipulated news during the panchayat polls campaign to confuse the voters as well as people within BJD. They are still doing it through WhatsApp. As claimed by the site, Naveen would be in US on March 5, which is not true, as he would be attending the concluding ceremony of Biju Centenary Celebrations on the same day.

The irony is that an Odisha-based portal ‘Reporters Today’, which claims itself to be a Web Channel, posted the same news from Narada without any verification. The site just copied the news and did not bother to get in touch with the authorities or any party leaders.

Odisha News Insight has been in touch with senior BJD office bearers, who confirmed it as a FAKE and BASELESS Rumour. Journalism will die a natural death if such lies will be posted by News Portals. People will stop believing Web Journalism. Hope good sense prevails.

Strong, exemplary action should be taken against such news portals, which spread lies and hatred.