Fake news: Year-old screenshot of DawnNews shared online to malign PTI government

E-Paper | May 07, 2026

A screenshot from a TV news report aired last year on DawnNewsTV is being circulated on social media with the suggestion that the incumbent government has announced a new crackdown on social media accounts spreading negative propaganda against the prime minister and state institutions.

While the screenshot itself is authentic — unlike earlier pictures of Dawn.com which were doctored to spread fake news — the news does not pertain to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

The original beeper aired on DawnNewsTV on March 13, 2017 — Video courtesy: DawnNewsTV

The clip from which the screenshot has been taken was aired in March 2017 and the move had, in fact, been announced by the PML-N government to 'safeguard' then prime minister Nawaz Sharif from criticism on social media.

Dawn.com has verified the particulars of this snapshot by reviewing footage from the DawnNews archives.

This is not the first time that fake news has been attributed to a Dawn brand. On a number of occasions, doctored screenshots posing as Dawn.com were shared on social media to spread fake and malicious 'news'.

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Waqar Ahmed

Oct 23, 2018 02:06pm

Woa! DAWN giving explanations :)

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Aqeel

Oct 23, 2018 03:47pm

I think its about time that fake news should be termed an offense

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NACParis

Oct 23, 2018 03:48pm

Futile efforts by opposition to discredit PTI.

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Murtaza M

Oct 23, 2018 05:17pm

Fake news had a lot to play in us politics and will have a lot to play in next elections as PMLN and PPP join hands to malign PTI as much as possible.

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Adi

Oct 23, 2018 05:25pm

It wouod have been better that pti asked for same during last tenure of pml N ! Sportsmanship is rare among sportsmen !

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Shahid

Oct 23, 2018 05:56pm

Question is: what has Dawn done in practical terms against those who have wrongly maligned Dawn besides only announcing a correction? In a not so educated/sophisticated populace like ours, the damage done by miscreants is or can be incalculable.

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Dr Asif

Oct 23, 2018 06:37pm

Good going!

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