Fake News Shared on WhatsApp During Covid-19: An Analysis of Groups and Statuses in Pakistan

With the advancement of technology, the flow of information has increased many folds. With this, the spread of fake news has also increased. This has many objectives on part of its originating source. The panic criterion is one of it, which aims to create unrest and a distorted image of a situation prevailing around the readers. To consider the problem, this study analyzed the WhatsApp user's response to fake news concerning (Covid-19) in Pakistan. This study considered a quantitative survey research method. A Purposive sampling technique has been used to select respondents from the four provinces of Pakistan i.e. Punjab, Baluchistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhua. A total of 200 respondents were considered for the study, and only those respondents were included in the study who responded that they check the authenticity of news that is shared through the WhatsApp groups and statuses. The data has been analyzed through SPSS by extracting frequencies and percentages. The questionnaire was tested for reliability by applying a Chonbach's Alpha, the value came out to be .621 which is 62 %. Hence, the questionnaire is reliable in terms of measuring the main concept of the study.