Anumita Goswami studies fact-checking in India 

"The grant I received from the Finnish Cultural Foundation in the spring had made all the difference for my PhD research. I am very grateful for the grant,” Goswami says.   

Goswami has also previously received a PhD research grant from the C. V. Akerlund Media Foundation.   

In her PhD, Goswami studies the work of Indian fact-checkers.    

 "I conducted field research in India for my PhD and interviewed eleven Indian fact-checkers,” Goswami explains.   

The interviews with fact-checkers ended up redirecting the focus of Goswami’s PhD research.   

"The fact-checkers I interviewed were very vocal about their work, partly because they have little opportunity to discuss it with others. Many of them commented on the emotional labour involved in fact-checking, so that will also be discussed in my PhD,” Goswani notes.   

Emotional labour refers the effort to express or manage one’s emotions while working. Fact-checkers encounter a diverse range of materials in their work, such as images of dead people, which can be particularly distressing.    

Another theme in Goswami’s PhD is disinformation. While the types of disinformation commonly spread in India and Finland share some similarities, there are also notable differences.  

"Misogynistic narratives are a common type of disinformation in both India and Finland, but the sources of disinformation differ. In Finland, a significant amount of disinformation comes from Russia, whereas in India it often has a native origin.  

"Religious disinformation is widespread in India, where 80% of the population practices Hinduism. Islamophobia and disinformation targeting Muslims are particularly prevalent,” Goswami says.   

The messaging platform WhatsApp plays a significant role in the dissemination of false information due to its popularity in India.    

"India’s relatively low level of media literacy exacerbates the issue. False information spreads rapidly through messaging apps, because recipients may have a low threshold for resending messages. People may think they are sharing something just to be on the safe side, in case the information could be useful for someone,” Goswami explains. 

The spread of disinformation can have serious consequences.   

"Disinformation has sparked real-life violence. For instance, false reports about the Muslim minority allegedly eating or transporting beef have incited physical attacks against Muslims,” Goswami says.     

Goswami’s journey to Tampere to pursue her PhD included a few detours.    

"Back in India, I majored in geography and minored in economics & history. I was initially accepted into a university in Estonia and used that as a stepping stone to gain entry to a university in Finland. I applied and was accepted to the Erasmus+ programme at Tampere University of Applied Sciences,” Goswami says.   

Goswami’s background in social sciences is evident in her PhD research.  

 "I see myself as a media educator and have taught a course on Social Media Content Moderation in the previous autumn semester at Tampere University. I have interned at the Finnish national broadcasting company Yle, presented podcasts and interned in a project at the London School of Economics,” Goswami says.