Fact check: Fake webpage impersonating Dawn circulates false report

Published January 6, 2026
A screenshot of the fake web page.
A screenshot of the fake web page.

A webpage impersonating Dawn is currently online and accessible, it emerged on Tuesday. The page has shared fake news and disinformation while pretending to be a part of the Dawn Media Group.

The website is not part of, associated with or has any connection to the Dawn Media Group.

The webpage, operating from the URL https://dawn.newspot.live/news/rpshytr/93282/, has shared a ‘news report’ on Defence Minister Khawaja Asif supposedly criticising the Punjab government over poor governance and rising crime.

The text of the ‘news story’ and the headline do not conform to Dawn’s style guide. Further, the date at the top also says January 5 (Monday), not January 6.

The URL of the webpage posing as Dawn.com.
The URL of the webpage posing as Dawn.com.

Meanwhile, the main image of the ‘news report’ appears to be AI-generated and an amalgam of different pictures, showing Asif pointing his finger at someone, a man in a black hoodie and a police car.

The image also has text overlaid on top. Dawn does not use images in its news reports with text overlays and clearly states when images have been generated using AI.

However, when one tries to click to another page, it redirects to Dawn’s original site.

When checked through website hosting checkers, it emerged that the imposter site was hosted via US-based Namecheap, Inc.

In October 2025, a supposed news website impersonating Dawn had popped up and shared a false report on PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan allegedly complaining about institutional overreach.

Opinion

Trouble at home

Trouble at home

The country’s strength lies in its political and economic stability, not in fleeting moments of diplomatic success.

Editorial

Pezeshkian’s visit
Updated 24 Jun, 2026

Pezeshkian’s visit

Perhaps a good place to start would be the resumption of work on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.
Telecom bill
24 Jun, 2026

Telecom bill

THERE is now no question about it: the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill of 2026 is a...
Updating Islamabad
24 Jun, 2026

Updating Islamabad

ISLAMABAD is growing rapidly. Its planning, however, remains stuck in bureaucratic limbo. Despite years of ...
Unsustainable growth
Updated 23 Jun, 2026

Unsustainable growth

CLICHÉS are an essential part of political rhetoric. But when repeated often, they lose their impact. So when...
Banned speeches
23 Jun, 2026

Banned speeches

NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday formally lifted long-standing restrictions on the airing of ...
New GB government
23 Jun, 2026

New GB government

WITH the newly elected lawmakers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly taking oath on Monday, the PPP looks set to head...