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

    Fact Check: Woman cycling with baby tied to her back not from India
    Fact Check: Woman cycling with baby tied to her back not from India

    The image of a young woman, allegedly a migrant worker, cycling with an infant tied on her back has been doing the rounds on social media. However,...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 19 May 2020 1:14 PM GMT


    Ex-MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddys patient transfer system gets patent
    Ex-MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy's patient transfer system gets patent

    Hyderabad: An innovation by the team of former MP and social activist Konda Vishweshwar Reddy has received a patent at a time when it can make the...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 19 May 2020 10:11 AM GMT


    Hyd cop `behaves rudely with woman techie, clicks pictures; TSHRC seeks report
    Hyd cop `behaves rudely' with woman techie, clicks pictures; TSHRC seeks report

    Hyderabad: Telangana State Human Rights Commission (TSHRC) on Monday asked Hyderabad Commissioner of Police to submit a report after a woman techie...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 18 May 2020 6:44 PM GMT


    Fact Check: Indian businessman Arun Pudurs claims of distributing hand sanitiser for free busted
    Fact Check: Indian businessman Arun Pudur's claims of distributing hand sanitiser for free busted

    A self-proclaimed Indian tech billionaire, Arun Pudur, on 7 May, tweeted the images of a few sanitiser bottles claiming he has converted one of his...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 18 May 2020 12:30 PM GMT


    Fact Check: Is TNIE planning to shut its 8 Kerala bureaus on May 31
    Fact Check: Is TNIE planning to shut its 8 Kerala bureaus on May 31

    Panic gripped the employees of The New Indian Express, Kerala, after a news article claimed that the newspaper is shutting down eight bureaus in the...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 18 May 2020 6:30 AM GMT


    168 families infected with Covid-19 in Hyderabad alone
    168 families infected with Covid-19 in Hyderabad alone

    Hyderabad: The latest health bulletin released by the Telangana state government shows that 168 families have been tested Covid-19 positive in...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 17 May 2020 8:36 AM GMT


    Sanath Nagar ESI Hospital has no information on OP procedures: RTI
    Sanath Nagar ESI Hospital has no information on OP procedures: RTI

    Hyderabad: A Right to Information (RTI) application was filed by a Hyderabad-based RTI activist to the all Indian states seeking what is the process...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 17 May 2020 8:01 AM GMT


    Best Bday gift: Hyd student tests negative after 8th COVID test
    'Best B'day gift': Hyd student tests negative after 8th COVID test

    Hyderabad: Carrying a placard inscribed with 'COVID negative’ in bold, Nitin Bollam walks the brightly lit corridors of Hyderabad’s Gandhi Hospital....

    By Dheeshma  Published on 16 May 2020 5:48 AM GMT


    Im nearing retirement but was laid off; 50 YO Zaheerabad sugar factory announces mass layoffs
    'I'm nearing retirement but was laid off'; 50 YO Zaheerabad sugar factory announces mass layoffs

    Hyderabad: A 50-year-old sugar factory in Zaheerabad area of Sangareddy district has laid-off all its 87 permanent employees amid coronavirus...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 15 May 2020 4:37 AM GMT


    Fact Check: Did locals spot black panther at Golconda mosque?
    Fact Check: Did locals spot black panther at Golconda mosque?

    Hyderabad: On May 14, locals at Hyderabad's Golconda spotted a big cat entering Masjid E Noorani in the wee hours. Within hours, a morphed image of a...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 14 May 2020 7:06 AM GMT


    Telangana doctor drives 60 kms through forest, ensures save delivery of tribal woman
    Telangana doctor drives 60 kms through forest, ensures save delivery of tribal woman

    It was around 7:30 pm. After day-long labor at his Public Health Center (PHC) in Gangaram, Dr. Mukram was getting ready to leave for home. He hadn’t...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 13 May 2020 7:00 PM GMT


    Fact Check: Has government introduced 5-phase lockdown roadmap to combat Covid-19 ?
    Fact Check: Has government introduced 5-phase lockdown roadmap to combat Covid-19 ?

    Hyderabad: While the country is preparing for Lockdown 4.0, shutdown extended for the fourth time, to check the spread of coronavirus, a fake roadmap...

    By Dheeshma  Published on 13 May 2020 8:18 AM GMT


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