“Officials Must Counter Misinformation Proactively”: CEC
ECI Holds Conference for Media, Communication Officers
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 8th July: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday organised its Third One-Day Conference for Media and Communication Officers, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar urging officials to proactively counter misinformation and strengthen public trust in the electoral process.
Around 200 Media Nodal Officers (MNOs), Social Media Nodal Officers (SMNOs), District Public Relations Officers and senior officials from 10 States and Union Territories participated in the conference.
Addressing the participants, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said every action of the Commission is guided by the Constitution, electoral laws and established procedures. He cautioned officials against false narratives circulating on social media and said proactive communication is essential to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi highlighted the growing challenge posed by AI-generated deepfakes, synthetic content and misleading online material, urging communication officers to counter such content using the Commission’s rules and guidelines.
The conference included sessions on election communication strategies, media engagement, tackling misinformation, voter awareness initiatives, electoral roll preparation, polling procedures and vote counting, followed by interactive discussions with Commission officials.
