Fake News and Misinformation in the Digital Age: Challenges for Journalism and Law
Author(s): Dr. K. Rakesh, Dr. Shaik Fayaz, Yoga Sundara Praneet Veturi, Shivanshu Katare
Publication #: 2610010
Date of Publication: 08.10.2026
Country: India
Pages: 1-12
Published In: Volume 12 Issue 5 October-2026
Abstract
A false message can now travel across India in minutes, faster than any newspaper or court can correct it. Fake news and misinformation harm public health, public order, elections and trust in journalism. This article studies how Indian journalism and Indian law are responding. It first explains the meaning, types and causes of false information. It then looks at the pressures on journalists, such as speed, falling revenue and the loss of public trust. Next, it studies the Indian legal framework: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (which replaced the Indian Penal Code), the Information Technology Act, 2000, the IT Rules, 2021, the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and key court decisions including Shreya Singhal v. Union of India. The article also uses published data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check Unit, with charts and a flowchart, to show how the problem is growing and how the system responds. The study finds that India has many laws but no clear definition of "fake news", that criminal law is used often but convicts rarely, that government fact-checking raises free-speech concerns, and that journalists lack the support to verify at speed. The article ends with suggestions: a narrow legal definition focused on harm, protection of free speech, stronger platform duties, independent fact-checking, newsroom training, and public media literacy.
Keywords: Fake News; Misinformation; Disinformation; Digital Journalism; Freedom of Speech; Intermediary Liability; Fact-Checking; Information Technology Act; Media Literacy.
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