April’s Avalanche of Misinformation: Rumor Scanner Flags 296 False Claims

Bangladeshi fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner has identified a total of 296 pieces of misinformation that circulated online in April 2025. Among these, the highest number—101 instances—related to national issues, accounting for 34 percent of the total. The next most targeted category was political matters with 95 cases, followed by international (38), religious (27), fraud (10), sports (9), entertainment and literature (8), and education (7).

The findings were published by Rumor Scanner on its official website on Thursday, May 1, in a detailed report summarizing misinformation trends during April.

The report revealed that most of the identified misinformation was based on textual content, with 138 incidents. Additionally, 105 falsehoods were disseminated through videos and 53 through images. Among the total, 180 were categorized as false, 66 as misleading, and 48 as distorted. Two incidents, originally presented as sarcasm or satire, were fact-checked due to being perceived as factual.

In terms of platforms, Facebook led the spread with 276 instances. YouTube followed with 54, Instagram with 48, X (formerly Twitter) with 44, TikTok with 24, and Threads with at least 13. Mainstream media was not entirely exempt; 15 cases involved misinformation broadcasted by various Bangladeshi news outlets.

The report highlighted a growing trend of misinformation originating from Indian media and social media accounts targeting Bangladesh. In April, Indian media published two such false narratives involving Bangladesh, and two additional incidents were traced back to Indian accounts and pages on social media. Communal misinformation remained a matter of concern, with 16 such cases identified. Of these, six were traced back to Indian-origin social media accounts and pages.

Rumor Scanner's observation also pointed to 12 incidents of misinformation involving the current interim government. These were divided into two categories: those favorable to the government were labeled as positive, while those opposing were marked as negative. The report found that approximately 83 percent of these narratives portrayed the government negatively.

The chief adviser of the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, was targeted in 29 misinformation incidents in April—the highest monthly count this year—with nearly 83 percent of these narratives being negative.

Among other advisers, three misinformation cases involved Dr. Asif Nazrul (all negative), two each involving Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan (50 percent negative) and Syeda Rizwana Hasan (all negative), and one each involving A F M Khalid Hossain, Sheikh Bashir Uddin, and Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam (all negative).

Within political parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was the most targeted, with 13 pieces of misinformation—each potentially fostering a negative perception. Party chairperson Khaleda Zia was involved in one such instance, acting chairman Tarique Rahman in two (50 percent negative), and secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in nine—all negative. The party’s student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, and youth wing, Jubo Dal, were also subjects of two and one misinformation incidents respectively, all of which were negative.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was associated with six misinformation events, all negative, including two specifically targeting its Ameer, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. Its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, was linked to six additional misinformation incidents, again all negative.

In contrast, the ruling Awami League was associated with eight misinformation events, 75 percent of which were favorable. The party's student wing, Chhatra League, was involved in one negative case, while its youth wing, Jubo League, was implicated in three cases—67 percent of which were positive. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was linked to six misinformation cases, 83 percent of them favorable.

The newly formed political entity, Jatiya Nagorik Party, was also targeted with three negative misinformation incidents in April. Party convenor Nahid Islam was mentioned in two, while leaders Hasnat Abdullah, Sarjis Alam, and Nusrat Tabassum were involved in three, two, and one incidents respectively—all negative.

Even state institutions were not immune. The Bangladesh Army and its Chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, were the focus of 16 misinformation cases—six of them directly involving the General. The Bangladesh Police faced nine such incidents during the month.

The "Anti-Discrimination Student Movement," known for its involvement in the quota reform and anti-government protests, was the subject of two misinformation cases in March, with one targeting its spokesperson Umama Fatema.

Rumor Scanner also identified 19 instances of content generated through artificial intelligence and three cases involving deepfake videos.

A global wave of protests in support of Palestine, triggered by the ongoing "genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza," led to widespread misinformation. In Bangladesh, a platform named "Palestine Solidarity Movement Bangladesh" organized a "March for Gaza" in Dhaka on April 12. Around this context, Rumor Scanner detected at least 38 related misinformation incidents in April. Separately, 11 pieces of misinformation were linked to an attack on tourists in Kashmir, while five cases surrounded the "Sunni Grand Rally" in Dhaka on April 26.

Fake content impersonating media outlets—using their names, logos, headlines, or fake photocards—contributed to 62 misinformation incidents across 58 cases, involving 25 local and foreign news organizations. Among them, mainstream outlet Jamuna TV’s name was misused the most (12 times), followed by Prothom Alo and Janakantha (eight times each).

In addition to its regular fact-checking operations, Rumor Scanner published a “Fact File” on the resurgence of old rumors surrounding Dr. Muhammad Yunus amid the Gaza crisis, and an investigative report from its Rumor Scanner Investigation Unit on the new tactic of using free Blogspot domains to propagate political disinformation.

For comparison, Rumor Scanner had identified 298 misinformation incidents in March.

Notably, a review of these findings confirms that RisingBD.com remained uninvolved in the spread of misinformation during this period.