Fake news has emerged as a modern fitnah, undermining journalism, politics, and social harmony. Why verification, ethics, and truth matter today.
From its earliest days, journalism has sought to preserve an identity grounded in authenticity, responsibility, and truth. Across the world — including Pakistan — those committed to this noble craft worked tirelessly to ensure that the news reaching the public remained untainted by personal motives, political agendas, or sensational distortions. Journalism demanded patience, integrity, and respect for facts. For decades, credibility and public trust formed the backbone of the profession.
There was a time when journalists rarely felt compelled to embellish reality merely to attract attention. Accuracy mattered more than speed, and verification outweighed virality. However, as technology advanced at an unprecedented pace, doubts began to surface about the very foundations upon which journalism was built.
The Rise of Fake News and Digital Manipulation
The emergence of artificial intelligence, deepfake technology, and digital manipulation tools triggered a crisis the world had never experienced at this scale. The boundary between truth and falsehood blurred — not because journalism failed, but because technology enabled falsehood to travel faster than truth and appear more convincing than reality itself.
Voices can now be cloned, images altered seamlessly, and entire incidents fabricated with alarming ease. A few strokes of digital ingenuity are enough to create content capable of misleading millions. The age of fake news arrived quietly, but its impact soon reverberated across continents.
False reports began spreading before facts could emerge, shaping public opinion prematurely. Disinformation was weaponised to launch smear campaigns, destroy reputations, inflame social divisions, and weaken societal harmony. Deepfakes intensified this crisis, creating confusion between states, fuelling misunderstandings, and widening diplomatic and ideological rifts.
Fake News as a Tool of Political and State-Level Propaganda
A telling example of this destructive phenomenon was the attempt to link the Sydney terror attack to Pakistan. Within hours, accusations and outrage flooded digital platforms, particularly from India, Afghanistan, and Israel — despite the absence of any credible investigation confirming the attackers’ identity.
The narrative spread rapidly, reinforcing existing political prejudices and biases. When facts later emerged revealing that the perpetrators were from India, the correction failed to receive comparable attention. By then, the damage had already been done. The falsehood had travelled far and wide, while truth struggled to catch up.
This episode raises an uncomfortable question: has truth become inconvenient in an era driven by instant outrage rather than patient inquiry?
Even state institutions, once considered resilient to misinformation, are now targets of fabricated content designed to erode public confidence. Yet politics has suffered the most. Technology is increasingly misused not for constructive criticism or healthy debate, but for defamation, humiliation, and the systematic silencing of dissent. Tolerance — once a hallmark of political discourse — has eroded, replaced by hostility shaped by manipulated narratives rather than facts.
The Greatest Fitnah of the Digital Age
It would not be an exaggeration to describe fake news as one of the greatest fitnahs (tribulations) of our time — threatening not only journalism but societal stability itself.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) warned of such an era. In a Hadith, he foretold a time when “the liar will be believed and the truthful will be rejected; the deceiver will be trusted and the trustworthy will be considered treacherous.” This prophetic warning mirrors today’s reality, where manipulated content dominates discourse while verified truth is dismissed or ignored.
The Holy Qur’an provides clear guidance on responsible information sharing. In Surah Al-Hujurat (49:6), Allah commands:
“O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with news, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance and later become regretful for what you have done.”
This divine instruction forms the ethical foundation upon which responsible journalism and digital conduct must stand today. Verification, patience, and fairness are no longer optional — they are essential for survival.
How Journalism Can Confront the Fitnah of Fake News
To combat this crisis, journalism must return to its core values. Newsrooms must strengthen verification mechanisms and embrace transparency in editorial processes. Journalists must be trained to recognise deepfakes, digital manipulation, and coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Media organisations should enforce ethical codes that clearly reject sensationalism and reward accuracy over speed. Fact-checking should not be an afterthought, and corrections must be given the same prominence as initial reports.
At the national level, countries must establish regulatory frameworks addressing the misuse of artificial intelligence without stifling innovation or freedom of expression. Public awareness campaigns are vital to educate citizens about identifying fake news, verifying sources, and resisting the impulse to share unverified information.
State institutions must also improve communication channels so official information remains timely, clear, and accessible — reducing the space in which false narratives thrive.
Individual Responsibility in the Age of Virality
In an era where every individual with a smartphone can amplify information, personal responsibility has never been greater. Each citizen must become a guardian of truth rather than an unintentional carrier of falsehood.
The principles found in the Qur’an and Sunnah — justice, verification, patience, and fairness — should guide every act of consuming or sharing information. Clicking “share” without verification is no longer a harmless act; it is participation in the spread of falsehood.
Truth Must Prevail
Journalism stands today at a crossroads. The tools of deception are powerful, but the commitment to truth — supported by faith, ethics, and human conscience — remains stronger.
If journalists, state institutions, and individuals unite to uphold authenticity and verification, this modern fitnah can be confronted with clarity and discipline. Truth has always prevailed over falsehood, and in this technological age.
Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal serves as the Director General (Research) at the National Assembly Secretariat, Parliament House, Islamabad. With extensive experience in legislative research and policy analysis.
