In times of war and conflict there is another kind of warfare we see.
The information war. The narrative war.
And When tensions flare, our instinct is to turn to social media. Because we all want real-time updates. We want to know what’s happening now.
And that’s precisely why we need to be aware of the misinformation flooding us.
Before the first bullet is fired, the first lie is spread. And thanks to social media, those lies don’t just travel fast—they go viral.
They confuse, manipulate, provoke.
A missile strike video might turn out to be footage from a video game.
Let me give you a real example. Many Pakistani social media handles posted visuals of an attack and claimed it was Pakistan’s retaliation. They claimed it was Pak Army’s attack on an Indian Military Colony. Turned out false. While the origin of the video is not known, it is surely from before even the Pahalgam attack and suspected to be from Indonesia.
Another video shows fire and claims it is Pakistan’s attack on Srinagar Air base. It turned out to be from PoK from 2024.
This is why in this special episode of LME; we have a special guest, fact checker Mohammed Zubair; who will tell us about the kind of misinformation that’s been rampant ever since the Pahalgam attack and how you can try to differentiate between what’s true and what’s not.
Because the thing about fake news is that some of it feels true. Some of it looks like news. But too often, it’s not.
When fake news spreads during war or conflict, it doesn’t just mislead—it can stoke hate and make things worse.
Even journalists can get caught in it. The pressure to break news first often comes at the cost of checking if it’s actually true.
That’s why fact-checking isn’t optional—it’s essential.
People like Mohammed Zubair are out there every day, debunking falsehoods and holding the line, even when it comes with threats and abuse.
At The News Minute, that’s the kind of work we back. Not for ads, not for clicks—but because it matters.
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You might be thinking—why should I worry about misinformation? Isn’t that a journalist’s job?
Well, it’s not just on us. Because when fake news spreads, it’s regular people who end up paying the price.
The Nazis weaponized information during World War II.
During the Gulf War, a young girl testified in front of the US Congress that Iraqi soldiers had taken babies out of incubators in Kuwaiti hospitals and left them to die. It was a powerful, emotional story—and it helped build support for the war. But later, it came out that the whole thing was made up.
The US justified the 2003 invasion of Iraq by claiming that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and links to Al-Qaeda—claims that were later proven false.
These narratives were widely amplified by the media, shaping public fear and support for war.
In today’s conflicts, we see the same tactics: shocking videos, unverified claims, images stripped of context.
During Israel's war on Palestine too, we saw this playing out.
An influencer claimed grieving Palestinians were crisis actors, faking pain. But fact-checkers traced the video: the man had lost three children.
Disinformation can also come from official sources, and then amplified by major outlets.
The danger is that people can completely lose trust- that’s when disinformation wins.
This is why media literacy and fact-checking are more important than ever, especially for young people. In Finland, schools are leading the way, teaching students to question, verify, analyze—before they share.
Kerala tried this at one point.
Let’s be clear: misinformation is a strategy. It’s a weapon. And in the fog of war, it can kill clarity, compassion, even truth itself.
So the next time a shocking video appears in your feed—pause. Ask where it came from. Who benefits from you believing it? What facts can you find to back it up?
Because truth needs allies. And each one of us has a role to play.
For suggestions and feedbacks write to pooja@thenewsminute.com
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Pooja Prasanna, edited by Nikhil Sekhar, Graphics by Vignesh Manickam