Unregulated information and fake news can create havoc and unimaginable proportion of disaster, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday and hit out at some "misguided souls" who create waves of narratives to tarnish, diminish and demean institutions in which people take pride. He also said there is an unregulated and reckless "mushroom growth" of social media platforms that has made every citizen, in a positive sense, a communicator. "But in the vast army of communicators, you do have a small category that is disruptive, that may not believe in our nationalism, that may not believe in our growth trajectory, that tends to harm us," he said. Such kind of narrative gets vertical growth, Dhankhar cautioned. Addressing a group of Indian Information Service (IIS) officer trainees, he said that when a motivated narrative is set afloat by global media, there is a tendency to believe it. "Global media setting the narrative must be blunted." He also dubbed "disinformation" as a big threat to peace and stability and a challenge to democracy. The vice-president, who is also chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, said there is a "free fall" of information even in Parliament. He said it is "alarming and worrisome" that some "misguided souls" are engaged in dissemination of fake information. "They create narrative waves to taint, tarnish, demean and diminish institutions we take pride in." "Sinisterful forces are operating in small numbers in the country and outside," Dhankhar cautioned. He said the official media has performed in an exemplary manner with a tag of independence and neutrality. Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju was also present at the event.
