Photoshopped social media post troubles BOL and reporter Ghulam Murtaza

JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 26 December 2018

A manipulated image featuring BOL News reporter Ghulam Murtaza and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has gone viral. The misinformation has prompted public backlash and action from the Information Ministry.
Summary

ISLAMABAD – A photoshopped screenshot of BOL News featuring Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry as purportedly saying the government will construct new cinema houses in the country at the cost of Rs1400 billion, has gone viral.

The image intelligently photoshopped to make it look real also has a mugshot of BOL News reporter Ghulam Murtaza.

Since its posting on social media Tuesday, the post has created problems not just for the reporter but also for the television channel.

Another image, again photoshopped as breaking news, said the government had released Rs1400 billion for building 800 new cinemas.

Murtaza tells JournalismPakistan.com he had received numerous phone calls after the image got widely shared across social media platforms.

He said he did not report any such thing, and neither did BOL air it.

The post also appeared to trouble the Information Ministry that posted the screenshot on its Fake News Buster Twitter handle with a Fake News stamp on it.

The ministry said: “Dissemination of #FakeNews is not only illegal and unethical but is also a disservice to the nation. It is the responsibility of everyone to discourage such irresponsible behavior. Reject #FakeNews.”

Meanwhile, the ministry has forwarded the post to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for further action.

KEY POINTS:

Photoshopped image of BOL News goes viral on social media.
Reportedly misquotes Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry regarding cinema funding.
Ghulam Murtaza denies any association with the statement.
Information Ministry addresses the incident as fake news.
Post has been referred to FIA and PTA for further investigation.