BOOM Podcast

As far as misinformation campaigns go, we've seldom come across one as persistent and relentless as the one hounding the students of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University in India. From terrorists, freeloaders, amoral drunkards to drug addicts and sex maniacs - many a names have been used by mainstream media, politicians, spiritual gurus and celebrities to denigrate the students of the varsity.

However, the one memorable name that stuck was the "Tukde-Tukde gang" - a gang who wants to allegedly break India to pieces.

In this episode, we speak to former Zee News producer Vishwa Deepak, JNU ABVP member Venkat Chaubey and social activists Umar Khalid and Saket Gokhale to answer one simple question: does "Tukde-Tukde" gang really exist?

Language: English, Hindi

Narrator: Archis

Producer: Archis, Krutika

Social media and instant messengers have enabled rumours to spread like wildfire. Spontaneous panic and apprehension spread through these rumours have led to a large number of deaths in India by fueling mob violence across the country.
Indian police officials Harsh Poddar and Rema Rajeshwari have led the path in drawing the blueprint on how to douse a breaking situation of mob violence and take precautionary measures by spreading awareness. In this episode, we speak to both of them, to understand mob mentality in India and the ways to deal with these deadly rumours on social media.

All feedback welcome at [email protected].

Fact checking is no funny business. The requests we get on our WhatsApp range from politics, economics and medicine to violence, fantasy and black magic.

In this Diwali Special episode, we speak to some fact checkers at BOOM to find out how they go about a typical day at office, as the fake news ecosystem lurks in the background.

WhatsApp and social media are rife with misinformation related to health and illnesses. But should we trust random medical advice from unknown sources? Could it land it us a much bigger trouble?

Join us, as we speak to some medical health professionals to figure out how to combat such misinformation ourselves. 

Ever since the current crisis at the Punjab Maharashtra Co-operative Bank hit the news, social media and WhatsApp have been rife with misinformation regarding finance and banking. 
From cash going defunct, to banks shutting down, people are sharing highly panic inducing messages all over the internet. But can such fake news cause offline damage to the state of banking and finance in our country? 
Join us, as we sit down with author Vivek Kaul to discuss ways to protect ourselves from such a fate

Since 2017, RMVM School in Valsad, Gujarat, has been targeted with a massive misinformation campaign. A series of unrelated images and videos of child abuse were shared on WhatsApp and social media, alleging that they portrayed instances of horror faced by the students of RMVM School at the hands of their teachers.So we drove to Valsad, and spoke to the teachers, students and the principal, to find out what really happened.

On August 5, 2019, India's Union Home Minister announced the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A from the Indian Constitution that provided a special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Since then, the valley has been in a state of partial lock-down, with people not having access to mobile networks, internet and cable television. 

In this episode, we explore the current state of affairs by speaking to people who have witnessed the situation unravel in front of their eyes.

Deepfakes - or fake content made using AI and machine learning, is soon going to become one of the biggest challenges for fact checkers and internet users. How can you possibly tell the difference between real and a deepfake, when the latter is made with a certain degree of precision that your eyes fail to see? In this episode, we discuss some of the potential solutions before us, in combating AI generated fakery.

Satire can empower, and it can misinform. In this week's episode, we ponder over the thin line between satire and misinformation with cartoonist George Mathen and comedian Kunal Kamra. Tune In!

There is a very thin, ever-changing line between science and pseudoscientific myths. In the case of India, that line is heavily distorted with a strong blend of religion and scientific advancements. As we head towards the future, how could we extract scientific knowledge from our past without falling trap to myths? Join us this week, as we explore the realm of scientific thought.