Karnataka govt establishing independent bodies to tackle fake news: I&B minister Priyank Kharge

The Karnataka government is establishing independent bodies to assist authorities in combating fake news and misinformation, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said Tuesday, allaying fears that the proposed fact-check unit would muzzle dissent.

Priyank was responding to concerns raised by the Editors Guild of India on the government’s fact-check unit to fight fake news.

On August 21, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gave a go-ahead to set up a state-level fact-check unit that Priyank is putting together.

“Let it be clear that the establishment of this unit is in no way an attempt to impinge upon the freedom of the press,” Priyank clarified on X (formerly Twitter). “As acknowledged by the Editors Guild of India, the online realm faces a challenge of misinformation and fake news, necessitating the implementation of measures to address this issue,” he said.

Priyank said the government's fact-check unit would “uphold an apolitical stance, devoid of bias” and “transparently explain the methodologies employed to the public”.

The minister said the government is in the process of establishing independent bodies. They will be “enlisted to assist us in combating fake news and misinformation”, Priyank said. “The Government of Karnataka adheres to the ideologies of Basavanna and Babasaheb. Rest assured, we will diligently follow the tenets of natural justice,” he added.

The Congress government wants to crack down on fake news ahead of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled next year. A month after taking oath as the CM, Siddaramaiah on June 20 directed the police department to begin a crackdown on fake news.

Priyank is working on a state-level fact-check unit. The government is likely to empanel fact-checkers.

The government is likely to decide what fake news is on the basis of existing public policy guidelines of social media platforms besides using its own method to define or classify misinformation.