A journalist for over 25 years, Govindraj Ethiraj is the founder of Boomlive, a fake news busting website, Indiaspend, which specialises in data-driven public interest journalism, and Factchecker, which keeps a record of public figures who spread misinformation. Most recently, Ethiraj helmed India Fact Quiz, an initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that focuses on breaking down myths and biases around healthcare, education, gender.
He speaks with Snigdha Sharma about running the quiz, the importance of data literacy in India, and how the quality of public discourse can be greatly improved by making important data more accessible. He also discusses the need for and ways of tackling misinformation and fake news.
