Whenever India-Pakistan relations touch a flashpoint, as happened during the recent post-Pahalgam four-day military conflict, patriotic feelings, understandably, run high, the mood is jingoistic, and the Indian news media goes into overdrive.

Accurate, reliable and credible information on what exactly is happening on the ground is at a premium, and one is at a loss to decide whom to believe.

In a war situation, the government seeks to frame the narrative. This is done through official statements, press briefings and blocking of enemy websites to counter the enemy’s propaganda. Maintaining a high morale of the nation and of the armed forces is a priority, and the government may even go to the extent of blocking domestic websites or news outlets which run a contradictory narrative, as happened with the news of Pakistan downing India’s Rafale jets.

There was a free flow of fake news in the Indian media with reports of the Karachi Port being heavily bombed. However, the moment some respected Indian journalists, newspapers and websites cited a CNN report quoting French officials confirming the loss of the Rafale, these news items were blocked on the internet by the government, and the journalists were trolled as “anti-national”.

The air was tense, and the armed conflict between India........

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