Half the storyTrick: Guilty by link

The Reel's attempt to link domestic protesters to foreign terror sympathizers is entirely baseless.

It leaves out something that changes it. Reel by @explained360inenglish · checked 8 Oct 2026 · Politics

The Reel we checked

@explained360inenglish

Fake Journalism Exposed? From Gaza to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Protest From Gaza to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the question is whether the “journalist” label is being…

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🚩 What's concerning

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The Delhi Police failed to register a First Information Report despite formal complaints lodged by affected media personnel alleging sexual harassment and mistreatment.

"Questions have been raised regarding the non-registration of a First Information Report despite formal complaints lodged by the affected media personnel." India Today, 2026-10-05

"Three women journalists have alleged that they were sexually harassed by police officers while covering the protests at Jantar Mantar" Scroll, 2026-10-04

Delhi Police response: "The police said complaints received by the New Delhi district had been forwarded to the Crime Branch for investigation." The Tribune

The trick: Guilty by link

It tars someone with the views or acts of people linked to them (known as guilt by association).

"Palestine model of fake journalism has reached the cockroach protest in Jantar Mantar."

Associating domestic protesters with unrelated foreign individuals does not prove the protesters are engaged in illegitimate actions.

How this trick works and how to answer it →

What we checked

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It implies: Journalists and protesters at Jantar Mantar are coordinating with or sharing the agenda of foreign terrorist sympathizers.The Quint

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Certain journalists from Gaza were seen with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.Clyde

Saleh Al-Jaabari, Mohammed Abdel Aziz, and Hassan Aslaya celebrated the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel.No reliable source found for this yet.

What the Reel doesn't tell you

The video used to link the Jantar Mantar protest to Palestine is actually old footage from a 2023 protest and is unrelated to the Cockroach Janata Party rally.

What each side says

journalists and protesters at Jantar MantarThey maintain they were carrying out legitimate journalistic reporting of protests when they faced police harassment and assault. The Tribune

How it plays you

It wants you to think: "Indian protesters and journalists are malicious actors working with foreign extremist sympathizers to create chaos."

Associating domestic protesters with unrelated foreign individuals does not prove the protesters are engaged in illegitimate actions. One person's act in Gaza says nothing about journalists and protesters in Delhi, whom investigators have not linked to any foreign terror groups.

Dehumanizing name-calling: "cockroach protest". It repeatedly uses the derogatory term 'cockroach' to refer to protesters and a political party, aiming to strip them of dignity so you dismiss their allegations of police misconduct.

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