Most disinfo in 2024 so far revolved around Yunus, Hasina and religious issues: Dismislab

Bangladesh experienced a sharp rise in political and religious misinformation in the wake of its political upheaval, as analysed in Dismislab's review of third-quarter fact-checking reports for 2024, says the quarterly report by the organisation released today (31 October). 

The main focus revolved around Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the politicisation of religion, especially with the intent of stoking communal tensions.

In the report, Dismislab said the surge correlated with the political shift triggered by the government job quota reform movement, which ultimately led to the resignation of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the formation of an interim government under Dr Muhammad Yunus.

"From July to September 2024 – the period marked by heightened political instability – eight fact-checking platforms documented 917 unique misinformation. Political misinformation dominated, comprising 42% of all unique fact-checks in the third quarter – nearly triple the share from the previous quarter and almost double that of the first. Religious misinformation also spiked, accounting for 12% of unique fact-checks in this period," it said.

Dismislab said the political misinformation during this period targeted two main groups: Dr Yunus and his interim government, and Sheikh Hasina along with Awami League leaders, often glorifying them and just as often demonising them, further polarising public perception. 

"Both groups were frequently implicated through fabricated claims, often shared via fake graphic cards mimicking credible media posts. Meanwhile, religious misinformation largely targeted minority communities, using misleading photos and false narratives of communal violence, much of which originated from sources outside Bangladesh." 

On its findings, the organisation said that from July to September, Bangladeshi fact-checkers encountered a surge of misinformation, resulting in a record 1,345 fact-checks, of which 917 were unique cases. 

"This represents a 32% increase compared to the unique cases recorded in the quarter preceding the national election (October to December 2023).

The chart shows a sharp uptick in misinformation beginning in June as protests escalated, followed by a temporary dip in mid-July due to internet shutdowns and political uncertainties, then a resurgence in August with the fall of Hasina's government and the formation of a new interim administration, and ultimately reaching a peak in September." 

It said the overall rise was "largely driven by political misinformation, which accounted for 42% of all unique fact-checks in the third quarter – up from 25% in the previous quarter." 

What disinfo targets were

Political misinformation mainly targeted two sides of the political aisle: Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League, making up 36% of the total, and Dr Yunus, his interim government, and leaders of the student movement, accounting for 35%. 

"The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), typically a common misinformation target in past years, dropped to just 8%, while misinformation targeting Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing increased to 11%, highlighting a shift in political focus," the report said.

Meanwile, Yunus and Hasina accounted for about 14% of the total. 

"However, targeting is not monolithic; while some misinformation demonises the target, other narratives also falsely glorify them," it said.

To analyze this targeting pattern, Dismislab classified misinformation narratives into two categories: 'negative' and 'positive or neutral.' 

About half of the misinformation (49%) about Sheikh Hasina was glorifying or neutral, while approximately two-thirds (65%) of the narratives surrounding Dr Yunus were negative or adversarial.

Negative narratives on Hasina suggested pressures from the military and international bodies, exemplified by claims such as "The new army chief asked Sheikh Hasina to step down," "The United Nations has threatened to oust Sheikh Hasina's government due to the quota movement" and that she is "leaving the country amid the quota movement." 

In August, negative stories intensified, with health rumors and fabricated departure plans circulating widely to cast doubt on her strength and legitimacy as a leader in exile. 

Examples like "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's heart attack," his son "claiming Sheikh Hasina is dead" and "Narendra Modi ordered Hasina to leave India" were emblematic of efforts to portray her as vulnerable and isolated. 

"By September, with Hasina in exile and a new government taking shape, misinformation increasingly focused on her international image and amplifying claims of public rallies and demands for her return, painting her as a leader whose presence was crucial to Bangladesh's stability," it said. 

Rumours revolved around her being recognised globally, suggesting her imminent return as well as promoting speeches and interviews she supposedly gave in India.

Meanwhile, disinformation narratives around Dr Yunus began in August, immediately after Hasina's ouster. 

"Some narratives positioned Yunus as a symbol of reform and integrity, circulating populist claims such as his decision to 'bring the bodies of expatriates to the country for free,' a supposed mandate that local government chairman candidates 'must have a master's degree,' and exaggerated reports of 'magical changes' in Dhaka airport after he assumed power." 

It said the narratives falsely glorified Yunus as "the world's only Nobel-winning head of government" and suggested he would remain in power for the next six years.

"At the same time, negative claims surfaced, often linking him to financial and business controversies, such as alleged financial ties with Israel and the false claim that 'Grameen Bank loan receivers won't have to pay any installment,' which could create confusion and uncertainty among borrowers." 

By September, the focus on Yunus had intensified, with the disinformation becoming increasingly polarised.

"Yunus was depicted as both a populist leader with progressive initiatives and a figure aligned with conservative values. On one hand, misinformation glorified him with promises of populist reforms, claiming that he planned for the government to 'provide free education to low-income students,' 'guarantee government jobs for one member of each family,' and 'offer allowances to students and the unemployed.'" 

On the other hand, contrasting narratives portrayed him as aligned with conservative religious ideologies, with claims that he "preferred Surah Fatiha over the national anthem," "loves scholars (alems) and wants to work closely with them," had allegedly "placed a banner with the Kalima (Islamic creed) in his office," believed "unemployed women should marry rather than work," and promised "free electricity for mosques and madrasas."

Posts about his alleged resignation and international scrutiny spiked throughout the month, with claims such as "Yunus not returning to the country," "he had stepped down," "he was arrested in the US," "his UN speech was canceled," and "Russia objected to him speaking at the UN"—all portraying him as a leader under intense pressure.

Politicising religion

"In the third quarter of this year, religion became the second most common topic for misinformation after politics, comprising 12% of all independent fact-check reports, with data showing a steady quarterly rise," the report said.

One of the methods was using old or unrelated images and videos – specially on X – to portray incidents as recent communal violence.

"Fact-checks revealed that many fake accounts sharing this content operate from India. False statements have also circulated in the names of interim government advisers and leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement," the report said.

Dismislab found that this was more prominent immediately following the fall of the government.

Attacks on Awami League properties and violence against minority communities were reported across various regions. 

"However, old images and videos misrepresented as recent events circulated widely, including an August 7 video on X showing Hindu-owned shops allegedly on fire, which fact-checks determined was at least a month old; a restaurant fire in Satkhira depicted as a temple attack and a Chittagong clash involving Chhatra League activists shared as a Jamaat-e-Islami attack on Hindus."

This misinformation also extended to fabricated quotes.

"For example, false claims attributed to a religious adviser suggested reduced Hajj and Umrah costs, and a fake quote from Sarjis Alam, a coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, claimed he advocated for an Islamic state with the Quran as the constitution. Posts on social media also falsely asserted that the Bangladesh Police logo had been altered to replace the boat symbol with the name of Allah. These narratives sought to exploit religious tensions and portray communal discord in the wake of the government transition," the report said.

Main method of disinfo

Dismislab found that videos were the primary medium for spreading misinformation, accounting for 31% of independent fact-check reports in the third quarter of this year. 

"However, this represents a decline from the previous two quarters, where videos comprised 44% and 42% of misinformation, respectively." 

Another popular method was the use of graphics cards, which made up 13% of fact-check reports in the second quarter, increasing to 19% in the third quarter.

"Of the misinformation spread via graphic cards, 81% mimicked the names and logos of established media outlets. These graphic cards typically resemble those used by media organisations to share news on social media. 

"Notably, nearly half of this misinformation (49%) was politically related, highlighting the ongoing use of deceptive visuals to influence public perception."

The fact check was made from July to September 2024, and incorporated reports published in eight fact-checking websites including RumorScanner, BoomBD, NewsChecker, Fact Crescendo, Fact Watch, AFP Bangladesh, Ajker Patrika and Dismislab.