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Our team comprises highly committed journalists dedicated to debunking dis/misinformation narratives and stories. The team is well versed in the use of the latest state-of-the-art digital verification tools. We work round-the-clock to ensure disinformation, misinformation and malinformation do not pollute the larger information ecosystem and mislead innocent readers and consumers in the digital space. Our goal is to create a clean and safe social and political environment to help people make unbiased decisions.
VishvasNews team members have not, over the past year, spoken out on major political issues or other matters. Nor have they advocated for any political party, candidate or cause, save for the cause of transparency and accuracy in public debate.
We fully comply with Newsroom Diversity. We are diverse in gender, age groups, skills and even, religious beliefs.
Position: Senior Editor and Assistant General Manager
About: Urvashi Kapoor is an award-winning journalist and Senior Editor & AGM at Jagran New Media, where she leads the Literacy vertical. A certified trainer with the Google News Initiative India Training Network, she is widely recognized for her expertise in fact-checking, media and AI literacy, cybersecurity, and responsible technology use in journalism.
Over the years, Urvashi has spearheaded large-scale media and AI literacy initiatives and award-winning digital literacy workshops that have impacted more than 80 million people. She has collaborated with global technology and media organizations including Google, Meta, and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), driving innovative campaigns focused on digital empowerment, misinformation awareness, and online safety. She also holds a copyright for one of India’s largest media literacy initiatives, reflecting her commitment to creating meaningful societal impact through innovation and education.
Under her leadership, literacy projects have received multiple prestigious recognitions, including the INMA Global Media Awards 2024, WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Gold Award, WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Bronze Award, E4M Digione Award, AFAQs Media Brand Award and ICMA Award. Her individual contributions to journalism and digital literacy have also been honored with accolades such as the “40 Under 40 in Journalism”, presented by the Governor of Kerala for her outstanding contribution to the industry.
An East-West Center, National Press Foundation, and Sunway fellow, Urvashi has represented India as a speaker at major international conferences and workshops across Norway, South Korea, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, and Turkey. She currently serves on the governing council of the Trusted Information Alliance, contributing to national and global conversations around AI, trust, safety, and digital literacy.
In addition to her editorial and literacy work, Urvashi hosts two digital shows, Jagran Unscammed and TrendXplainer, including one award-winning series focused on misinformation, scams, and emerging digital trends.
Qualification: She is a post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication and holds another postgraduate degree in Commerce. She has also successfully completed a program on ‘Strategies for Increasing Reach & Engagement of Journalism’ from The Knight Center for Journalism at the University of Texas.
Certifications:
Correction
1: May 31, 2020
The story done by a team member (Employee ID PN0059) was updated on May 31 to remove an unnecessary paragraph which was not required in the story.
https://www.vishvasnews.com/english/health/fact-check-no-who-didnt-warn-against-consuming-cabbage-to-prevent-covid-19/
https://www.vishvasnews.com/english/health/fact-check-no-mustard-oil-cannot-cure-coronavirus-however-it-has-certain-health-benefits/
https://www.vishvasnews.com/english/health/fact-check-who-didnt-issue-proposal-for-extending-lockdowns-to-control-covid-19-fake-post-getting-viral-2/
Position: Associate Editor
About: Abhishek is the associate editor at Jagran New Media, where he heads the Fact Check vertical of Vishvas News, the organization’s dedicated fact-checking wing. He is an information integrity expert, serving as a Certified Trainer with the Google News Initiative (GNI) India Training Network and a Lead Instructor for ADiRA (AI for Digital Readiness and Advancement). He is widely respected for his specialized expertise in combating disinformation, establishing robust fact-checking methodologies, promoting media and AI literacy, and advocating for the ethical and responsible integration of emerging technologies in journalism.
With over 16 years of experience in journalism, Abhishek has built an extensive portfolio working with prestigious outlets including Press Trust of India (PTI), Business Standard, The Economic Times, Catch News (Rajasthan Patrika), and News Nation Digital.
A specialist in data analysis and business journalism, he dedicated over half of his career to these fields before pivoting to media integrity. Today, he is a certified Google News Initiative (GNI) trainer for fact-checking and news verification. He also leads training sessions for ‘Sach Ke Sathi,’ Jagran New Media’s award-winning media literacy initiative.
With a strategic focus on building cognitive resilience against digital manipulation, Abhishek’s work centers on equipping newsrooms, journalists, and civic communities with advanced verification skills. Through ADiRA, he bridges the gap between traditional verification and the AI era, driving initiatives that foster digital literacy, AI integration, and critical cognitive skills to prepare society for an evolving information landscape. Over his distinguished career, Abhishek has successfully designed and spearheaded large-scale verification and media literacy frameworks.
Qualification: Abhishek holds a postgraduate diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi; a postgraduate degree from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar; and a graduate degree in the same field from Delhi University.
Certification:
Correction
1: Sept 16, 2019
Vishvas News received a claim on a story which was done on Sept 14 by Vishvas News Team member (Emp ID: PN0041)). Below is the story URL
Vishvas News received a mail from the admin of ‘Fir Ek Bar Modi Sarkar’ Facebook page claiming the rating given on its post by Vishvas News was incorrect. The author of the story didn’t get a required quote from Youth Congress. As per the IFCN guidelines and the SOP, Vishvas News made necessary correction in the story and changed the rating of the Facebook post from False to True.
2: December 18, 2020
The story done by team member (Employee ID PN0043) was updated on 18th Dec 2020 to remove an unnecessary paragraph which was not required in the story.
Position: Associate Editor
About: Ashish is a Fact-checker with Vishvas News, with over 20 years of experience in Digital and Print Media. He has previously worked with TV18 Group in Mumbai and the Dainik Bhaskar Group in Bhopal. He has extensive experience in digital journalism and was part of the teams at bhaskar.com and India Today Group’s website, Lallantop. Ashish also serves as a trainer for fact-checking and media literacy initiatives. In his capacity as a trainer for Vishvas News’ media literacy campaign ‘Sach Ke Sathi,’ he imparts training sessions across various cities in the country. He specialises in political fact-checks and handling social media. In addition to scrutinising political content, Ashish dedicates his expertise to investigating misinformation surrounding social issues.
Qualification: Ashish holds a postgraduate degree in Journalism from Makhanlal Chaturvedi National Journalism University, Bhopal and is a graduate of Rajasthan University, Jaipur.
Certification:
Correction
1: July 29, 2018
Vishvas News noticed a strike on Vishvas News Facebook Page on 29th July at 8.30 PM. It happened because Vishvas News Team member (Emp ID: PN0043) mistakenly rated our own story in Facebook dashboard. He had submitted Vishvas News’ fact-checked reference article in related content category. As a result, Vishvas News’s Facebook page received a strike. Later, the rating was corrected by him.
This was the story which was by mistake rated as false – https://www.vishvasnews.com/health/fact-check-post-claiming-caripill-cures-dengue-in-48-hours-is-misleading-2/
2: May 7, 2020
Another Team member (Employee ID PN0058) had done a story on a viral video which claimed that it was Rishi Kapoor’s last video in which he was listening and praising a young man in the hospital where the actor was admitted. Once the story was done, the first team member (Employee ID PN0043), while rating the video in Facebook dashboard, had rated it with the option – ‘Video only’. Later, the rating was changed to the option – ‘Video with Text Together’.
https://www.vishvasnews.com/urdu/viral/fact-check-no-this-not-the-last-video-of-rishi-kapoor-viral-claim-is-fake/
3: May 31, 2020
The story done by team member (Employee ID PN0043) was updated on May 31 to remove an unnecessary paragraph which was not required in the story.
https://www.vishvasnews.com/politics/fact-check-nepals-old-photo-goes-viral-in-the-name-of-india-this-photo-has-no-relation-with-lockdown/
4: June 4, 2020
Team Vishvas News Member (Employee ID PN0043) had done an article in which it was wrongly mentioned that Congress MLA has been suspended by the party. The story was corrected with the correct information and a disclaimer on that was also put in the story.
https://www.vishvasnews.com/politics/fact-check-aditi-singh-a-suspeneded-mla-from-congress-did-not-join-bjp-with-5-mlas-viral-post-is-fake/
5: December 18, 2020
The story done by team member (Employee ID PN0043) was updated on 18th Dec 2020 to remove an unnecessary paragraph which was not required in the story.
https://www.vishvasnews.com/politics/fake-order-of-tourism-ministry-viral/
https://www.vishvasnews.com/society/fact-check-no-corona-virus-in-fish-in-madhya-pradesh/
Position: Deputy Editor
About: He is a journalist with over 20 years of experience across India’s leading print and digital newsrooms. He specializes in Digital Investigative stories, with a particular focus on Cyber Crime, Digital Fraud and Online Safety.
Throughout his two-decade career, he worked with Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan, Dainik Janwani, Amar Ujala and Rajasthan Patrika.
Beyond editorial work, he is a dedicated Media Literacy Trainer, leading initiatives to combat Misinformation and promote Digital Safety. As a trainer for Vishvas News campaign, ‘Sach Ke Sathi’ (SKS), he empowers diverse audiences with essential fact-checking skills, helping them navigate the digital world.
Qualification: He holds a postgraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a distance learning degree in MBA (HR).
Certification:
Correction
1: December 12, 2022
A story by a member of Vishvas News was updated on December 12, 2022. In this, a paragraph was removed, which was not needed in that story.
Position: Chief Sub Editor
About: Pragya is a seasoned digital media professional with ten years of experience. She is Chief Sub Editor at Vishvas News, she has previously contributed her expertise to NewsChecker, Patrika, Hindustan Samachar, and Deshbandhu. She also serves as a trainer for the ‘Sach ke Sathi’ media literacy campaign.
Qualification: Pragya holds a postgraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Certification:
Correction
1: January 23, 2023
A story by a member of Vishvas News was updated on December 23, 2023. In this, a paragraph was removed, which was not needed in that story. Another paragraph was added in place of the existing paragraph.
2: December 23, 2023
A story produced by a Vishvas News member (Employee ID: L70003) was updated on December 23, 2023, following the established correction policy of Vishvas News.
3: December 15, 2023
A story originally published on December 1, 2023, by Fact Check team member (Employee ID: L70003), was updated on December 15, 2023, as per the established correction policy of Vishvas News.
4: On August 26, 2024
On August 26, certain redundant facts were removed from a story published on August 21, 2024, by a Fact Check team member (Employee ID: L70003). This adjustment did not affect the final conclusion of the fact-check.
