Actors of the entertainment fraternity are increasingly becoming soft targets of fake news, which are posted by accounts posing as gossip rags. Earlier, there have been instances of fake news being spread about the death of actors like Firdous Jamal, Mehmood Aslam, Saeeda Imtiaz, Umer Sharif and singer Bilal Khan.
Actor Adnan Siddiqui, recently, quashed the rumor about his death hoax as he responded to a YouTube clip that claimed that the actor had died. The Mere Pass Tum Ho actor shared a video on his Instagram that featured him watching the clip in which a woman can be heard reporting about his death.
Take a look…
His post read, “All those spreading the rumours of my demise in the name of journalism and breaking news, next time, give me a fair idea before making me the headline. I’ll personally come to your studios and confirm it, complete with my epitaph. Your (ir)responsible journalism should look flawless after all”.
The Tamasha host tweeted on his Twitter profile rejecting the false news, “Before any one of you start offering condolences here, I am rubbishing the news of my demise that’s doing the rounds on social media. Yours truly is very much alive and kicking Alhamdulillah”.
Before anyone of you start offering condolences here, am rubbishing the news of my demise that’s doing the rounds on social media. Yours truly is very much alive and kicking Alhamdulillah.
— Adnan Siddiqui (@adnanactor) September 9, 2023
The video was sent to Siddiqui by one of his contacts on WhatsApp. He further stated, “I am completely fine. Alhamdulillah, I am still alive. I don’t know who spread this news. Please don’t be upset. Dying is a part of life, but I still have a few days left”.
Who Is to Blame?
It’s high time to differentiate between credible journalism and false information. In today’s confusing landscape, not all media are trustworthy. Not just the journalists and media outlets should be accountable for reporting ethical journalism. The public also needs to accept more responsibility for using critical thinking and becoming smarter about what they read, watch and listen to.
