Rumor Scanner identifies top seven media outlets for fake news

Fact-checking organisation Rumor Scanner has identified 681 false reports published by 177 Bangladeshi news outlets during the first six months of 2026, according to a report released on Monday.

The organisation said it reviewed 681 reports published by the 177 media outlets and found evidence of misinformation in each case.

According to the analysis, The Daily Inqilab topped the list with 21 false reports, making it the media outlet that published the highest number of inaccurate stories during the period.

The Daily Ittefaq ranked second with 19 false reports, followed jointly by Jugantor and BD24Report with 14 each. Bangladesh Times was fourth with 13 false reports, while Kalbela ranked fifth with 12. Rupali Bangladesh placed sixth with 11, and Boishakhi TV and Barta Bazar shared seventh place with 10 false reports each.

Rumor Scanner's analysis also found that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was the individual most frequently targeted by misinformation, with 87% of the false narratives about him being positive in tone.

Among political parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was the most frequently featured in false reports, with 50% of the misinformation portraying the party positively.

The report identified misinformation in 146 separate incidents during the first half of the year. The highest number of incidents–34 each (23%)– were recorded in March and June, followed by 27 incidents (18%) in April. January recorded the lowest number of misinformation incidents, with 15.

By subject matter, international affairs accounted for the largest share of false reports, with 54 identified, followed by 41 on politics and 29 on national issues. The report also found 10 false reports related to sports, three each on religion, entertainment, and education, two on health, and one concerning the environment and climate.

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The report further noted that the single incident generating the highest volume of misinformation occurred on 25 June in Lakshmipur. At least 67 mainstream media outlets incorrectly identified a deceased woman as a student of the University of Dhaka.

Rumor Scanner said the woman had actually completed her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) in the science group during the 2022–23 academic session at Adamjee Cantonment College and had not enrolled in any university.

According to the report, three of the six most widely misreported incidents involved national issues, while the remaining three concerned political, health, and international affairs. Overall, Rumor Scanner identified 13 incidents that were inaccurately reported by 10 or more media outlets.