Information Disorder in Democracy: A Thematic Analysis of Mis/Disinformation in the 2024 Indian General Election

The world witnessed India’s general election in seven phases from 19th April to 1st June 2024. Flooding mis/disinformation on social media presented a massive challenge for this mega event. This study conducts a thematic analysis of mis/disinformation content debunked by two fact-checking initiatives: Alt News, a private entity, and PIB Fact Check, a government initiative, to obtain a deeper understanding of this problem. The study aims to identify the key themes and narratives of mis/disinformation and compare the focus of the debunked content by these two fact-checking initiatives. The study reviewed debunked articles from 15th March 2024 (election schedule announced) to 4th June 2024 (Result date). The findings identified six major thematic categories of mis/disinformation in each fact checking sites. The researchers also give comparative pictures of themes and focus of debunked content between Alt News and PIB Fact Check.