Break the chain of fake news, try Times Verified

Social media, which connects and catalyses change, can also be a minefield of fake news and falsehoods. The messages listed above are but an example of the steady, constant stream of misinformation spreading through platforms and networks that link families, friends and associates. The undercurrent of anxiety and panic is palpable.

• Are newborn calves being slaughtered in order to produce Covaxin vaccine?
• Please get your car refuelled. From tomorrow, the pumps have been instructed by police to give fuel only to those cars who have the red, green or yellow stickers.
• 4,000 MBBS students and 3,000 resident doctors have announced a strike against Maharashtra government for various issues.

As changing dynamics pit media against emerging forms of communication, TOI has tried to meet the challenge by putting even greater emphasis on news verification. We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we do have rigorous systems in place to check information before we publish it. In case an error still slips through, we acknowledge it and are quick to set the record straight.