"On the evening of Sept. 8, 2025, Nepal was shell-shocked. What started as peaceful Gen Z demonstrations against corruption rapidly turned into a killing field, with police guarding the parliament building firing indiscriminately on demonstrators for hours."
"In that chaotic situation, we at NepalFactCheck.org were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of misinformation and the emotional impact of the day's events. But we knew the video could cause real harm to society and therefore made an effort to fact-check it."
"Within a few hours, we published a fact check proving the video was recycled from previous footage. That fact check was referenced by social media users and mainstream media, and the virality of the misinformation diminished."
"We strategically chose those with the potential to flare tensions, trigger violence, or fuel larger disinformation narratives. We are proud of our work during the crisis."
On September 8, 2025, protests in Nepal escalated into violence, resulting in 19 deaths. Amidst the chaos, misinformation spread rapidly, including a viral video falsely claiming an attack on Pashupatinath Temple. NepalFactCheck.org responded by fact-checking the video, revealing it was old footage. Their efforts helped reduce the spread of misinformation, although they could not definitively prove lives were saved. Over two days, they debunked five significant false claims, focusing on those that could incite further violence or unrest.
Read at Poynter
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