Hyderabad: Congress MLC and Editor of The Siasat Urdu Daily, Amer Ali Khan, on Tuesday said that tackling fake news had become one of the biggest challenges facing both the media and the government today.
Speaking at the Hybiz TV Media Awards 2025 held at HICC in Hyderabad, Amer Ali Khan delivered an honest and thoughtful address, sharing concerns over how information is shaped in the digital era and how rapidly misinformation spreads.
He began by expressing appreciation for the platform, which brings together professionals from various sectors. Recalling personal memories, he said, “My father Zahed Ali Khan and senior journalist Ranga Reddy had received Hybiz awards in the past. It’s become a yearly tradition for me to attend. Hybiz and Raj Gopal have been doing excellent work in recognising talent and excellence.”
Reflecting on his dual experience as a journalist and now a legislator, Amer Ali Khan pointed out how the nature of news has changed. “Today, it’s hard to tell if news is being created by journalists or if it is being manufactured by political forces and then amplified,” he remarked.
He also noted that despite high hopes from the current Telangana government, there had initially been a lack of communication with the public. “There was a vacuum, and the government struggled to generate public attention, whether in traditional or social media. But now, we are seeing new efforts, especially to fight fake news,” he said, referring to incidents like the recent misinformation spread about the University of Hyderabad.
“Fake news is no longer just an issue of clarification, it requires being proactive,” he stressed, warning that the fast spread of misinformation can damage credibility and weaken public trust.
Sharing a recent conversation with a senior IAS officer at the Telangana Secretariat, Amer Ali Khan said, “He told me that prompt engineering, common sense, and strong English will be the key skills for the next three months.”
He added that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already transforming the media landscape. “One AI tool can now do the work of 50 people. That’s the scale of disruption we’re facing,” he said.
He urged the traditional and vernacular media, including Urdu newspapers, to embrace this change quickly. “Earlier, I believed our Urdu daily had at least ten more years of comfort. But COVID-19 and the explosion of digital platforms changed everything. Even regional print media is struggling to understand what readers expect today.”
Amer Ali Khan concluded by saying that while technology poses challenges, it also offers new opportunities and media must adapt to stay relevant.
