Rumor Scanner, a dedicated fact-checking organization committed to combating misinformation and disinformation, unequivocally condemns the persistent and calculated dissemination of fake information by entities seeking to defame our organization and its personnel. These consecutive attacks are a deliberate attempt to undermine our credibility and disrupt our vital work in fostering an informed public sphere.
On July 9, the tragic murder of scrap trader Lal Chand alias Sohag in Mitford, Dhaka, was misrepresented with a communal angle by certain Indian media outlets and social media accounts. Rumor Scanner promptly published a fact-check on this incident, confirming the victim’s identity and refuting the false communal narrative. On July 13, an X (formerly Twitter) account named ‘Nepal Correspondence’ quoted our fact-check, falsely claiming that our founder and managing director Sumon Ahmed received $29 million from USAID to promote anti-Sheikh Hasina propaganda during last year’s alleged efforts to overthrow the government. Furthermore, this account labeled Rumor Scanner a “deep state-affiliated organization” and characterized our senior fact-checker Shohanur Rahman as a “pro-American and pro-Muhammad Yunus propaganda account.” The $29 million figure appears to stem from a statement made by President Donald Trump in March of this year, where he claimed USAID had provided $29 million to an unrelated organization in Bangladesh. There is also an official statement on this from the interim government of Bangladesh. It is clear that this figure is being misappropriated and falsely linked to Rumor Scanner in a deliberate attempt to discredit our work.
In October of last year, a fabricated image, falsely attributed to The Washington Post, circulated on social media, claiming the Bangladesh interim government had finalized a list to dismiss 67 senior army officers and 3,872 military personnel. Rumor Scanner’s investigation confirmed this was false; The Washington Post had published no such report, rather a post announcing this a fake image, a fact corroborated by its South Asia Bureau Chief. This disinformation was also amplified by the same account named ‘Nepal Correspondence.’ After Rumor Scanner published its English-language fact-check, this account quoted our post, dismissing our thoroughly sourced report as “low-quality.” The account personally targeted Rumor Scanner’s founder, Sumon Ahmed, and falsely claimed that international organizations, including Johns Hopkins University, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Moderna Inc., UNFPA, USAID, and Save the Children, fund Rumor Scanner for “paid propaganda.” These claims are categorically false and aim to undermine our journalistic integrity.
Rumor Scanner operates with complete transparency and adheres to the highest standards of journalistic ethics. Our funding sources are publicly accessible and our work is independently verified. These continuous and escalating attacks, characterized by the dissemination of false information and personal vilification, are a clear attempt to intimidate and silence our organization and disrupt our critical mission of combating misinformation.
We stand by the accuracy of our fact-checks and will continue to hold purveyors of disinformation accountable. Rumor Scanner will not be deterred by these baseless accusations and remains steadfast in its commitment to providing accurate and verified information to the public. For any queries, please connect us to: [email protected]
