Dheeshma

Dheeshma Puzhakkal heads the fact check team at NewsMeter. Commencing her career as a tech writer in 2018, she transitioned into journalism in 2019 as a multimedia journalist with NewsMeter. In 2020, she joined India Today, where she advanced to the position of Principal Correspondent within the organisation's fact check team. Dheeshma specialises in analysing maps and satellite imagery, and gathering open-source intelligence for investigative journalism. Her reporting extends across diverse domains, including health, consumer affairs, data, politics, and law enforcement agencies. Throughout her career, Dheeshma has proven herself as a seasoned fact-checker, delving into misinformation surrounding various topics, including elections, cross-border conflicts, and communalism. Her contributions have earned recognition, with Members of Parliament, ministers, and embassies acknowledging and sharing her findings.

    Dheeshma

    OSINT Pulse: July 2025 | Agentic AI, smarter maps and tools to speed up investigations
    OSINT Pulse: July 2025 | Agentic AI, smarter maps and tools to speed up investigations

    With each passing month, new tools and updates continue to reshape how OSINT professionals and journalists gather and verify information.

    By Dheeshma  Published on 31 July 2025 5:03 PM IST


    OSINT Pulse: June 2025 l Veo 3 misuse, Google’s ClaimReview fallout and archiving innovations
    OSINT Pulse: June 2025 l Veo 3 misuse, Google’s ClaimReview fallout and archiving innovations

    Hyderabad: Last month, I wrote about Google’s Veo 3 and the concerns around how realistic AI‑generated videos could be misused to spread...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 30 Jun 2025 4:17 PM IST


    Operation Sindoor: How media hype and misinformation hijacked the narrative
    Operation Sindoor: How media hype and misinformation hijacked the narrative

    Fact- checkers and independent monitors were untangling exaggerated fabricated reports in the crucial hours following the operation

    By Dheeshma  Published on 1 Jun 2025 12:36 PM IST


    OSINT Pulse: May 2025 l Navigating AI, deepfakes and conflict-driven misinformation
    OSINT Pulse: May 2025 l Navigating AI, deepfakes and conflict-driven misinformation

    May 2025 was a defining month for Indian fact-checkers. The Pahalgam terror attack and ensuing India-Pakistan tensions unleashed a wave of...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 31 May 2025 6:00 PM IST


    When AI gets it wrong: How bots like Grok and Perplexity amplify conflict misinformation
    When AI gets it wrong: How bots like Grok and Perplexity amplify conflict misinformation

    Social media users often wave around a video or image as ā€˜proof,’ demanding sceptics explain where it came from.

    By Dheeshma  Published on 23 May 2025 6:15 PM IST


    OSINT Pulse: April 2025 l AI Images in Pahalgam, GPS Spoofing, and New Resources
    OSINT Pulse: April 2025 l AI Images in Pahalgam, GPS Spoofing, and New Resources

    April month’s OSINT update begins with the alarming role of synthetic media in the aftermath of the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir,...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 30 April 2025 6:21 PM IST


    Images claiming to show the aftermath of the terror attack in Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, are viral on social media.
    Fact Check: Pahalgam terror attack images show deadly aftermath in Baisaran Valley? No, these images are AI-generated

    Images claiming to show the aftermath of the terror attack in Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, are viral on social media.

    By M Ramesh Naik  Published on 23 April 2025 3:53 PM IST


    Fact Check: Indian Army retaliates against Pakistan after Pahalgam terror attack? No, video is from 2020
    Fact Check: Indian Army retaliates against Pakistan after Pahalgam terror attack? No, video is from 2020

    A video of artillery shelling has been circulating on social media, claiming it shows retaliation by the Indian Army against Pakistan following the...

    By Md Mahfooz Alam  Published on 23 April 2025 3:45 PM IST


    OSINT Pulse: March 2025 l From Grok’s India Debacle to Advances in Image Detection
    OSINT Pulse: March 2025 l From Grok’s India Debacle to Advances in Image Detection

    This month has been a whirlwind for open-source intelligence (OSINT) and fact-checking, with AI playing an increasingly complex role in both spreading...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 31 March 2025 9:02 PM IST


    What is anorexia nervosa that caused death of Kerala’s water fasting teen?
    What is anorexia nervosa that caused death of Kerala’s water fasting teen?

    This case shows the growing concern around eating disorders in India and the need for better awareness and intervention

    By Dheeshma  Published on 12 March 2025 3:00 PM IST


    Fact Check: Pakistani minister assaults couple on camera? Here’s what happened
    Fact Check: Pakistani minister assaults couple on camera? Here’s what happened

    A video has been circulating with the claim that Pakistan’s Punjab education minister, Rana Sikandar Hayat, sexually assaulted a woman and her partner...

    By Md Mahfooz Alam  Published on 4 March 2025 3:36 PM IST


    OSINT Pulse: February 2025 l Testing Open-Source AI and Image Search Tools for Investigations
    OSINT Pulse: February 2025 l Testing Open-Source AI and Image Search Tools for Investigations

    Staying ahead in OSINT means constantly experimenting with tools, but many promising ones are either locked behind paywalls or unavailable in India....

    By Dheeshma  Published on 28 Feb 2025 9:29 PM IST


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