India's false narratives about Bangladesh: Why media literacy matters more than ever

Just after waking up in the morning, you might scroll through your phone and, within a few swipes, come across a video clip of Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh spouting another round of random, nonsensical rumours or a mortifying news story from a West Bengal media outlet. Knowing how they operate might not bother you to do a fact-checking.

These propaganda efforts followed the fall of the Awami League regime. Initially, it was frustrating and irritating to see how blatantly mainstream media could lie.

Over time, however, the frustration seemed to subside, and many of us now view their journalistic failures as nothing more than meme material. Still, we should be more concerned than ever as treating this misinformation as a joke might be dangerous—it shows how easily propaganda becomes normalised.

While the mainstream media can propagate false narratives as they please, the real issue lies with the consumers of such news—those sitting in front of their televisions, exposed to waves of misinformation and disinformation.

Many Indians genuinely believe these fake stories and become anxious over issues that don't even exist in reality. India, a vast country with a population of up to 1.4 billion, is highly exposed to false information.

According to the Global Risks Report 2024, India faces the highest risk of misinformation and disinformation over the last two years.

On December 4, last Wednesday, a protest was organised in Chennai against a rumoured attack on minorities in Bangladesh, resulting in the arrest of around 500 Indians. Many politically affiliated individuals were reportedly involved.

This situation highlights how serious the misinformation crisis in India has become. The constant tension created by baseless narratives might justify rephrasing the proverb "Barking up the wrong tree" to something like "Barking at an invisible tree."

What is media literacy?

Academically, media literacy is enunciated as decoding media messages, assessing their influence on thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and creating media thoughtfully and conscientiously.

This includes skills such as fact-checking, looking for context on issues, and piecing together events when suspicions arise. The foremost skill required is to avoid mindlessly believing media content.

A striking parallel can be drawn from the Russia-Ukraine war long before Russia invaded Ukraine. It was a time of spreading propaganda news. However, the people of Russia have been using alternative media, especially Telegram, VPN, etc., to uncover the truth.

This led to the arrest of many Russian citizens, including minors. According to CNN, 35 minors have faced politically motivated criminal charges in Russia since 2009. This demonstrates the country's media literacy level and the disputes among Russian citizens against government decisions.

In India, news about measures such as the ones taken by Russian citizens has not been observed yet. However, some influencers are trying to uncover and spread the truth about attacks on minorities by directly communicating with the minorities in Bangladesh.

However, their efforts are not making much difference as relations between the two countries deteriorate. This highlights the urgent need for media literacy.

In the context of the Indian issue, the protests, online hatred, and shaming being spread reveal an interesting pattern. If we look deeper at the sentence structure and language skills used, most people with such biased perceptions are uneducated.

Hence, media literacy might be an "Out-of-the-box" consideration for them, but its presence might help reduce such practices.

While establishing media literacy alone won't dissolve the deeply rooted Hindu-Muslim dispute that dates back centuries, it can play a crucial role in mitigating the ongoing propaganda.

The real issue lies in the entrenched biases that sustain these narratives. However, fostering media literacy could encourage Indian citizens to pause and critically evaluate their government's goals.

At this point, denying the political alignment between Bangladesh's Awami League and India's ruling BJP under Narendra Modi would be naive. Recognising this interconnectedness could lead to more informed public discourse, pushing back against one-sided narratives fueled by historical and political complexities.

Improved media literacy won't erase entrenched biases or completely stop propaganda. However, it could weaken its spread by empowering individuals to question and analyse information critically. In an age where misinformation can spark mass protests and international tensions, promoting media literacy is no longer optional—it's essential.

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