Six Fake YouTube Channels Exposed: I&B Ministry

On 12^th January the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) cracked down on fake news peddling the YouTube channels that were using fake means to popularise their news and legitimise their content. These channels were exposed after the PIB (Press Information Bureau) Fact Check Unit released a list of such deceptive channels.

It revealed that there are six YouTube channels namely Nation TV, Samvaad TV, Sarokar Bharat, Nation 24, Swarnim Bharat and Samvaad Samachar were posting faux content on YouTube in order to publicize their channel. The PIB Fact Check Unit posted instances on its twitter handle where these news channels were deluding the netizens. For instance, recently Nation 24 shared a video of the Hon’ble Lok Sabha speaker being assaulted in the Parliament was allegedly fake.

In another instance, Samvaad TV claimed the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced that the petrol prices will be Rs. 55 per litre. The same news channel also claimed that Nitin Gadkari has resigned from his position as the Minister of Road Transport and Highways. After exposing an entire thread of such fake news produced by these channels, the PIB Fact Check Unit warned the netizens to steer clear of such kind of content and its producers.

Six Indian Fake YouTube Channels Exposed: Official Statement

On the official press release page of the PIB website, the Ministry officially states that “PIB Fact Check exposes over hundred videos on six channels that have monetized fake news; garnered over 50 crore views. Busted channels part of fake news economy; have a combined following of over 20 lakhs. Channels using clickbait thumbnails to peddle fake news pertaining to President, Prime Minister, Union Ministers and Election Commission.”

Alongside this official statement on its page, it also displayed the total number of subscribers and followers against each of these news channels which summed up to a shocking 20.47 lakh subscribers. In addition, the PIB also claimed that these channels were promoting fake news on both political and economic issues, especially focusing on hard politics that formed the very core of the country’s news ranging from the elections, proceedings in the Supreme Court and Parliament of India, functioning of the Government of India, etc.

Although, the PIB Fact Check Unit had already exposed three YouTube channels peddling fake news on YouTube itself in December 2022.

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