ISLAMABAD 25 Feb (Online): A popular Indian ‘news’ agency – Asian News International (ANI) – continues to push fake narratives using non-existent sources and \u201cfake experts\u201d to target rivals, particularly China and Pakistan, revealed a report by EU DisinfiLab.<\/p>\n
The revelation by EU DisinfoLab was made in an investigative report titled \u2018Bad Sources (BS)\u2019 which delved into anti-Pakistan and anti-China influence operations as part of its follow-up on two previous exposes of ANI. <\/p>\n
\u201cTwo previous EU DisinfoLab investigations have revealed that ANI regularly quoted the defunct \u2018EP Today\u2019 and \u2018EU Chronicles\u2019, two fake media outlets supposedly specialising in EU affairs that were, in fact, created to push anti-Pakistan\/China narratives in India,\u201d the report by the Brussels-based NGO stated.<\/p>\n
The latest investigation revealed that the Indian wire service, a purveyor of news to millions of Indians, has been repeatedly quoting a think tank that was dissolved in 2014 and therefore no longer exists.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the news agency has been using quotes from a journalist, as well as from several bloggers and supposed geopolitical experts, who do not exist.<\/p>\n
EU DisinfoLab reported that the Canadian IFFRAS think tank, previously linked to the Srivastava group and legally dissolved in 2014, was now quoted about twice a week by ANI.<\/p>\n
It furthered that the think tank\u2019s website \u201cfalsely mentions real Canadian university professors as participants in a conference that they never attended, even concocting false quotes by these academics\u201d.<\/p>\n
The EU DisinfoLab spent a \u201cconsiderable amount of time\u201d in an effort to get in touch with and find any trace of the existence of the personae ANI quoted. The so-called \u201cexperts\u201d were republished in several Indian media outlets, thus contributing to the propaganda loop and imposing narratives that cement over time.<\/p>\n
The narratives pushed by the fake personae and organisations were almost \u201centirely about criticising Pakistan and China\u201d.<\/p>\n
The faux narratives were \u201cquoted almost solely by ANI and then republished across several Indian media outlets\u201d, added the report.<\/p>\n
An example of bad sources was highlighted in the July 2021 news piece titled \u2018European Parliament to withdraw Pakistan\u2019s GSP+ status over abuse of blasphemy laws\u2019 \u2013 a withdrawal that did not happen.<\/p>\n
ANI quoted Philippe Jeune, sometimes presented as \u201cPhillipe Jeune\u201d, \u201cPhilippe Jeaune\u201d or on occasions \u201cPhilippe Lejeune\u201d, who claimed to be a \u201cParis-based investigative journo with more than 10 years\u2019 experience\u201d or \u201ca Brussels-based freelance journalist\u201d who did not exist.<\/p>\n
\u201cFake \u2018Phillipe\u2019 (note: the real French first name is spelled \u2018Philippe\u2019) has been published on both EU Political Report and EU Today, two Brussels-based media depicted in a series of articles by Politico\u2019s Mark Scott. <\/p>\n
ANI\u2019s piece quotes both EU Political Report and EU Today, giving it the appearance of well-sourced EU-based news, when in fact it is disputable,\u201d the report stated.<\/p>\n
The EU DisinfoLab tried to meet Jeune and reached out to the Brussels media to which he contributed and asked about Jeune\u2019s contribution to EU Political Report, however, its editor-in-chief advised us to contact the director of EU Today.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite our repeated requests, none of them were able to put us in contact with Mr Jeune,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n
The Brussels-based NGO called for the acknowledgment and moral responsibility required to tackle bad sources stemming from and enabled by real or fake organisations and persons in Europe and North America.<\/p>\n
The report concluded that ANI has failed its readership by not respecting the fundamentals of the Charter of Munich, which outlines the responsibilities and rights of journalists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that some of the \u2018organisations\u2019 mentioned use fake personae and are trying to hide their tracks while counting on being regularly quoted by ANI shows that ANI is, de facto, playing a key role in this influence operation\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD 25 Feb (Online): A popular Indian ‘news’ agency – Asian News International (ANI) – continues to push fake narratives using non-existent sources and \u201cfake experts\u201d to target rivals, particularly China and Pakistan, revealed a report by EU DisinfiLab. The revelation by EU DisinfoLab was […]<\/p>\n
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