ANALYSING INFORMATION DISORDER DURING BANGLADESH’S JULY 2024 QUOTA REFORM MOVEMENT EVIDENCE FROM RUMOR SCANNER

This article explores how fact-checking documented and made sense of the information disorder that unfolded during Bangladesh’s July 2024 Quota Reform Movement. To do this, the study examines fact-check reports published by Rumour Scanner, one of Bangladesh’s most widely recognised fact-checking platforms, between 10 July and 10 August 2024. During this period, 213 reports were identified, of which 134 were directly related to the movement and selected for close qualitative content analysis. Drawing on Wardle and Derakhshan’s framework, the study classifies misleading content as misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, and examines platform source, emotional tone, content format, and likely impact. The findings show that Facebook was by far the main platform for circulating misleading content, appearing in 122 of the 134 movement-related cases. Posts combining text with photographs or videos were especially common, showing how visual material can make false or misleading claims more persuasive during moments of political unrest. In emotional terms, anger and joy stood out most clearly, suggesting that misleading content spread not only through fear, but also through outrage, mockery, symbolic victory, and public celebration. Overall, the study shows that Rumor Scanner functioned not only as a corrective tool but also as an important record of how digital falsehoods moved through Bangladesh’s online political environment during a time of crisis.