DailyPost 2772
FACT CHECK
Can only authentic fact checkers save the world? With data and information breaking every ceiling of knowledge, it could have been safely presumed that we would have transitioned into a more objective world. It did not happen that way and there are no chances of it happening anytime in the near future. The problems are a bit too many. The simplest is that of integrity / honesty of data, but that generally does not create an issue. Once the data integrity issue is known, people can dump that data and take a fresh call. The other reality is that in large number of processes efforts are being made on a consistent basis to reach the stage of full integrity.
In today’s all types of tools are available to play around with the facts and present in a manner you feel like. Then you have instant dissemination and the favourite there being the social media. The two together can make anything fly. With this nature of the technology ecosystem available, think of two scenarios already playing out. The first scenario is data taken out of context and stitched in a manner to provide a different, non-existent or inflated or at times a totally surreal picture. In a multimedia world it does wonders with pics and videos and damage at times turns out to be irreparable.
Broadly, what we are talking about is the public domain digital world; of data, facts, information in the multimedia format, which can be reverse engineered. Authenticity, veracity can be conclusively fixed and the same applies to locating the creators. Date, time and the location and also the machine on which it was recorded and to a considerable degree the process of dissemination, with the routes thereof, can be found. In short, with bit of an extrapolation, we can term it open resource intelligence or OSINT. This science of digital fact finding has slowly become an expertise and a profession and they are doing yeomen service in the completely messed up cyber world, where deepfake is the king.
In India’s public domain physical political world, fact check has become a necessity, given the demonstrated capability of the active stakeholders to create false digital artifacts and disseminate it. A totally false narrative can be created and sold. Paper tigers, make believe titans can be created out of nowhere and so can statesman, iconic leaders and visionaries. In the vitiated public domain discourses as in India, references made even in public meetings need to be fact checked, even if it may mean to be cross checked with the well-known document/s, video clippings etc in the public domain. Literally, every digital artifact needs to be digitally certified. Technologically sound, fact check mechanisms can turn the tables and bring sanity to our public domain discourse, hopefully.
PROFESSIONAL FACT CHECKING IS THE ONLY WAY TO STOP FILTH IN THE INDIAN PUBLIC DOMAIN.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.