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In a hurry to rank on the top of search engines and be in line with the SEO checklist, media outlets often forget the fundamentals: to get it right before getting it first. Read on!

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Indian News Outlets Misreport Video Of Man Dancing In Elephant Costume As Real

🔖 You must have seen ‘miraculous,’ ‘over the top,’ ‘too good/ bad to be true,’ videos or would have heard of such stories on social media, media outlets, etc.

Red flag alert! (Note: Not always though but worth checking before believing)

For instance, several Indian news outlets, including ABP News & Zee News MP-Chhattisgarh, recently published reports on a video claiming to show a real elephant dancing among crowds and grooving to the beats of the drums in Kerala.

But it turns out that the video is actually of a man wearing an elephant costume.

All we did to verify: observed the video carefully + notice banners of the club that organised the event + reached out to the club for a confirmation

Fact-checking or verification is a bit about tools and techniques, but it’s more to do with logic.

Tip: Getting it right >>> getting it first.

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A 21-Year-Old From Odisha Is Decolonising English, One Reel At A Time

🔖 "If you want to learn to speak English really fast, then forget the grammar. Forget it man!" 21-year-old Dhiraj Takri from Odisha says with an American accent, in an Instagram reel that has over 12.8 million views.

He is no Shashi Tharoor. He did not learn much English in school, and he did not pass 12th grade. But he has over a million followers on Instagram, where he teaches how to speak English the native way. Read Saachi D'Souza’s report.

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Govt Plans Biometric At Immigration Amid DigiYatra Privacy Concerns

🔖 The government is planning to introduce a biometrics-based system for international passengers to facilitate quicker immigration checks, in a bid to establish India's airports as prominent global transit hubs. Read Hera Rizwan’s explainer.

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🚫 Fake News You Almost Fell For

🔍 An old video showing a large gathering of Muslims in front of an Eidgah was peddled on social media, with a misleading and communal claim that the footage shows a recent event that took place in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. 🔗Sujith & Srijit Das↗️ debunked the claim.

🔍 Is this video of American pop singer Taylor Swift endorsing former US President Donald Trump on the red carpet of the Grammys real? Find out in 🔗Hazel Gandhi’s↗️ fact-check.

🔍 This video of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refusing to answer a question criticising the budget is old but social media users shared it as a recent one, 🔗Hazel Gandhi↗️ found.

🅱️ Recommends

📖 This week's recommendation is: When AI Can Fake Reality, Who Can You Trust? by Sam Gregory

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