Be cautious of fake news on social media! CEC Gyanesh Kumar gave strict instructions to officials

The Election Commission (ECI) on Friday organized a day-long conference for media and communication officials, in which Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar told the officials concerned that they should work proactively to stop the spread of misinformation on social media. He said that every work of the Election Commission is done in a transparent manner on the basis of the Constitution of India, election laws and written instructions issued from time to time.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that the highest turnout in the recent assembly elections is proof that Indian voters have faith in the country’s electoral system. At the same time, Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi said that in today’s digital world, some people spread AI, deepfakes and synthetic content with misleading or mischievous intentions to reduce trust in institutions. He asked the media and communication officers to counter such attempts on the basis of the rules, instructions and guidelines of the Commission. He also called for connecting young voters through Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs).

Strategy made to deal with wrong narrative

This press conference of the Election Commission started with the communication strategies during the election process, which included everything from voter list to voting, ECINET, important constitutional provisions and laws related to media. Apart from this, practical sessions were also organized on preparing press notes and spreading them through media and social media, tackling misinformation and wrong narratives, engaging young voters through ELCs and informing the public about ECI initiatives.

More than 260 officers participated

This one-day conference was attended by Media Nodal Officers and Social Media Nodal Officers from various districts of 16 States/Union Territories, District Media Nodal Officers/District Public Relations Officers and senior officers of the respective State Public Relations Departments. Altogether more than 260 media and communication officers participated in it. According to the Election Commission, the conference helped officials of states that recently conducted elections share their experiences and disseminate best practices.

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