A fact-checker who is an editor at AFP Fact-check Bangladesh for Facebook stood accused of failing to keep up with Facebook community standards, attacking mainstream media, spreading partisan news and distorting facts to undermine the credibility of fact-based investigative media reports.
The official launch of the Boycott India campaign by BNP’s Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has brought to light the fact checker’s earlier attempt to rule out other media reports that had revealed BNP’s hand in the campaign.
He claimed “it’s dis-informative to say that “BNP is leading the ‘India Out’ movement in Bangladesh” while several media reports added back then that “BNP is stoking the campaign from the back end as part of the plan to get Indian support in anti-government movement”.
Before the polls, the same fact checker even slammed journalists and civil society members for claiming US visa sanction on media is essential for media persons, while civil society members and journalists found the envoy’s announced move was an unprecedented attack on the press and a bane for militants.
On a Facebook post, Shishir advocated for visa sanction passing an out-of-fact observation that was massively shared by BNP Jamaat combine on social media, another marker of his favouritism towards the same combine.
According to media reports, BNP-Jamaat combined back then even targeted media outlets and threatened sanctions to stop any critical reportage and even described Hass’s announced move as an unprecedented attack on media by a foreign envoy.
But Shishir without taking any stance against BNP’s veiled attack on the press using Facebook, continued to bash journalists who opposed the move, display journalists say classic case of activism that offers unprofessionalism.
Shishir’s activities have been subjected to partisan activities also and failing to adhere to community guidelines, added a group of human rights activists.
“In no way, a fact-checker can cross the line of objectivity and start passing judgements because his stated job is to separate facts from disinformation and obey the guidelines Facebook publishes to project itself free from bias”, added Chapal Bashar who worked with a top Swedish Newspaper from Bangladesh.
“The problem with Shishir is he holds some authority to guide Facebook on flagging off disinformation and bring down such contents. But Shishir’s partisan views are reflective of the danger and biases applied by Facebook”, he added.
In 2016, AFP started a third-party fact-checking program and within years it has now been described as “Facebook’s most expansive global partner”, according to the Meta Journalism Project website.
Facebook’s stated objective behind that fact-checking programme is “to identify and address viral misinformation, particularly, clear hoaxes that have no basis”.
Shishir can also be seen with a known controversial activist Zillur Rahman in a seminar where he had been “claiming to fight against disinformation” but Zillur was found spreading disinformation himself by demanding “mid-term elections” recently from his YouTube and Facebook among others.
On the other hand, Facebook has been accused of allowing calls for violence and instigation for arson circulated centring the polls in a complete breach of community guidelines to keep the platform safe.
Disinformation and rumours involving Awami League leadership have been prevalent on Facebook but little course correction can be found on the part of the authorities.