Misinformation influences communal violence: Study 

Eighty-six percent of respondents to a recent study think misinformation, particularly on social media, impacts communal violence in Bangladesh.

Some 11.6% of respondents found there might be some impact of misinformation in communal violence and the remaining 2.4% believe that social media has no impact on communal violence.

The findings were revealed at a campaign on Countering Misinformation and Disinformation on Saturday (12 March) at a city hotel.

International human rights organisation ARTICLE 19 conducted the study that features 50 surveys, two focus group discussions with different stakeholders, five key informants interviews, and two cases of communal violence in Nasirnagar of Brahmanbaria and in Ramu of Cox's Bazar.

Faruq Faisal, regional director of ARTICLE 19 South Asia, addressed the session as chief guest while Anwar Rosen, its program officer, shared the key results of the study.  

The research showed 76.7% of participants considered social media as a platform to watch or read the news.

However, some 67.4% of respondents said that they do not believe the information found on social media.

According to 48.8% of respondents, most rural people believe all information on social media.

The organisation made six recommendations to counter misinformation and disinformation which includes organising mass awareness programmes on communal harmony, taking nationwide initiatives for media literacy campaigns, training the opinion leader on fact-checking of information, ensuring proper flow of right information and national level monitoring on misinformation on social media by the government.